The 800 block of N. American Street is a disaster that’s loaded with potential. While the southern end of the block boasts some pretty nice houses, as you get closer to Poplar Street, things get gross fast. The prominent disaster on the block is the rotting ruin of Ortlieb’s Brewing Company, on the west side of the street. Word came out months ago that Tower Investments would be tearing down the old building, but this has not happened as of yet. Next to the blighted structure is a large vacant lot where we observed digging for new homes a year and a half ago, but no homes have risen as of yet.

West side of block in 2011

Old brewhouse

Across the street from this is the Henry F. Ortlieb Company Bottling House, built in 1948, which has had numerous uses…

Last week, Avram Hornik reopened Ortlieb’s, the jazz bar at 847 N 3rd St. that closed down a couple of years back, when it was under other management. According to Uwishunu, several of the bar’s old fixtures were preserved, but the place definitely has a new, shinier look. And the kitchen apparently has a newdirection as well, with Tex-Mex being bar food of choice.

One thing that hasn’t changed, unfortunately, is the blight that surrounds this business.

Same place, new sign

Vacant lot next door, brewery in the distance

One of the top jazz clubs in America, for a couple of decades, Ortlieb’s rose out of the ashes of the Ortlieb’s brewery, which closed down in 1981, according to PhilaPlace. Over the past three decades, most of the…

We noticed some earth being moved on the 800 block of North American St., and were feeling pretty excited to see progress on an unusual block in Northern Liberties. On the northern end of the block, sits a vacant, deteriorating remnant of the Ortlieb’s Brewery.

In bad shape

In the middle of the block, on the eastern side, sits another former Ortlieb’s building that’s had various uses in recent years but has perpetually been on the market, waiting for a buyer or tenant to fully utilize the cavernous structure.

45,000 sqft

Meanwhile, the lot in question has been empty for as long as we can remember. Recently, someone started digging a large hole.

Back in June, the owners of the lot, 1737 Chestnut R/E Advisors, presented to