Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-unit mixed-use building at 1601 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. Upon completion, the new building will rise three stories tall and will feature a commercial space on the ground floor. The upper floors will hold residential space. The structure will include a cellar and a roof deck. In total, the building will hold 7,659 square feet of space. Construction costs estimated at $1.15 million.
Rendering of 1601 Frankford Avenue.
The new building will boast an attractive exterior accentuated by a rounded corner that gives the structure a sleek appearance. The ground floor of the structure will feature gray siding, also with rounded corners, as well as have rounded floor-to-ceiling windows that contribute to the curvy theme of the design. The remainder of the structure will be comprised of white brick which will feature a miniature crown at the structure’s pinnacle that will embolden the building’s address.
Site of 1601 Frankford Avenue. Credit: Google.
The new building is replacing a much smaller, one-story structure that was somewhat well-known by residents of the surrounding area due to a poster of Matt Damon that hung in one of its windows for years. A doorway entered the yellow-painted building from the corner. The yellow structure is also attached to a three-story brick rowhome, which is situated on the left side of the above image. Although the structure was somewhat quirky and interesting, the new building will present a better and more efficient design.
Aerial view of 1601 Frankford Avenue. Credit: Google.
The property is at an incredibly prominent location in the heart of Fishtown at the corner of Frankford and Oxford. A high volume of pedestrian traffic passes the site each day, and its presence on Frankford Avenue means that the commercial space will be a huge bonus for the area. In the project’s rendering, a cafe appears to occupy the building, although it could just be a placeholder.
While the project is relatively minor when compared to other developments in the surrounding area, it will still be quite transformative. Removing an underused property on one of the city’s busiest commercial corridors is a major win, and the addition of a new commercial space with residential density helps the corridor continue to grow and thrive.
Philly YIMBY will continue to keep tabs on the development’s progress in the future.
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Bravo for new construction. Disappointment for the dressing of the building….the black store front windows don’t do anything to speak for residential scale or detailing. Why does the designer feel they need to be so blandly universal instead of looking at the neighborhood and either fitting in, or responding more thoughtfully.
The design is screaming for attention with rather oversized windows, so if that’s your thing, then good luck with that.
Parking is a big deal and it’s not happening at that development.
Situated one short city block from the Front Street subway of the Market-Frankford Line, you are between the Girard Avenue and the Berks Street stations.
SEPTA bus routes 5 and 25 serve this area directly.
Looks nice, what’s the problem?
hey AOK, just start with the signage….how many signs does a building need…maybe if you could see in the windows, you’d know what was going on inside……then…..
The description seems not to mention that a three-story rowhouse will be demolished. The new building could rise three stories yet not be so out-of-scale.