Permits Issued for 47-Unit Building at 1118 North Front Street in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a seven-story, 47-unit building at 1118 North Front Street near the confluence of Northern Liberties and Fishtown. Designed by BLT Architects, the building will rise on the west side of the block between West Wildey Street and Girard Avenue, just to the south of the Girard Avenue Station on the Market-Frankford Line. The structure will take up a footprint of 6,920 square feet and will hold 44,090 square feet of interior space, with just over 900 square feet per average unit. The property will also offer ground-level commercial space, which will positively contribute to the local commercial corridor. The building will be fully sprinkled. Permits list US Construction Inc. as the contractor. Construction costs are stated at $7.04 million.

It appears that the building will replace a parking lot that was renovated about ten years ago. The building’s relatively prominent height and density is a positive for the site, although its transit-adjacent location may arguably call for even greater numbers. In either case, its decidedly vertical arrangement makes for more efficient use of ground space as compared to the recently-built rowhouses that span much of the rest of the block, which rise just three stories tall and as the result are packed so densely that they allow for barely rear yards or natural light.

The building will rise across the street from 1131-39 North Front Street, a six-story, 47-unit proposal that we covered last week. In tandem, the two will offer a significant improvement to the block, as both will feature pedestrian-friendly commercial space that will hopefully offset the negative effect of the low concrete fence that runs along Front Street by the adjacent townhouse development. The two buildings will also solidify the connection between northeast Northern Liberties (aka Cohocksink) to the west and Fishtown to the north.

1131-39 North Front Street. Looking north. Credit: Google Maps

1131-39 North Front Street. Credit: Google Maps

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