Though Rittenhouse Square Park is only a block and a half wide, the street “Rittenhouse Square” runs all the way from 17th Street to 21st Street (and also, strangely, between 22nd and 23rd Streets).

Little street

As you can imagine with such a ritzy location, the homes on Rittenhouse Square are some of the most desirable in town. So it comes as a huge surprise that any would be allowed to fall into any disrepair whatsoever. Take 2049 Rittenhouse Sq., a structure that looks like a former storefront, that’s had peeling paint and a generally poorly maintained look in recent years.

The cream colored home, a few years back

The other day, a reader pointed out that work was getting done on the facade of this property. Looking on the handy new L&I map, we didn’t notice any building or zoning permits for this property, so we don’t have any additional info as to what’s going on here. It is nice, however, to see the ugly paint coming off the front.

Shrouded facade work

Closer look. Windows look to be covered up by plastic

Does anybody live nearby and have a clue about what’s going on here? We’ve wondered about this location for a few years, curious to know whether anybody actually lives here or not.

Meanwhile, just down the street, plans came before CCRA a couple of months ago to tear down an uglyish garage and replace it with a new single family home designed by Campbell Thomas. Work has not yet begun on this project, but we imagine the new home will be a tremendous upgrade over what’s there now. Perhaps the new home will not be as inspiring as the building across the street, but we’ll settle for something that attempts to come close.

Going away soon

Amazing building across the street

We’ll see what happens here, and update you along the way…