The other day, a reader gave us the heads up about a couple of zoning notices they noticed at 1715 McKean St., but when we made our way over to check ‘em out it was the building itself that really caught our attention. Have you ever seen this place in person?

Awesome building

According to the PHMC Cultural Resources Database, this building was constructed in 1921, and designed by W. Timm. And while it was a very impressive home for Abbott’s Alderney Dairies, it apparently wasn’t their only location in town. A City Paper story from last year (from our old friend GroJLart) tells the tale of another (and also very cool looking) Abbott’s building at 30th & Chestnut. According to that story, Abbott’s consolidated all their operations at 7th & Packer back…

For years, 2026 Fairmount Ave. was a source of blight, slowly collapsing next door to the Fairmount Pet Shoppe. Over a number of years, the owners slowly fixed up the building, with the property apparently changing hands in 2010, midway through the lengthy renovation. We last checked in on this place almost two years ago, when it was still a construction site.

In 2009

Current view

At that time, the property owner’s father indicated that a Chinese restaurant or a bakery might be taking over the space, which the owner was hoping to rent out for $3,600/mo. In the nearly two years since, construction has been completed and

Last month, Carman’s Country Kitchen shut its doors for the final time, after holding down the corner of 11th & Wharton for twenty-three years. This corner spot, with room for twenty diners, typically served a rotating menu of four dishes, created by the legendary Carman herself. With delicious offerings and a healthy dose of irreverence, Carman’s was home base for brunch for countless people over the years, but now its many fans have had to find new pastures.

A luncheonette back in 1960

Carman's. Photo from Yelp.

When news of Carman’s closing came out in September, rumor had it that the owner of the building intended to open a pizza shop in the corner space, which is located across the street from a Liquor Store and a Police Station. But when we were in the area last…

In the summer of 2011, a highly anticipated new Superfresh opened on the second floor of a large new building at the corner of 2nd & Girard. Just north of the Piazza, this new structure was not only supposed to give Northern Liberties its much-needed new supermarket, but also a collection of new and exciting retail options on 2nd Street and Girard Avenue. The results here have been mixed at best, with tenants like Family Dollar and TMobile bringing excitement to nobody, but one of the best state liquor stores providing the neighborhood with a significant upgrade over the previous incarnation a block away.

Looking south, retail in the distance

A year and a half after the market opened upstairs, a couple of the street level retail spaces have remained unoccupied. According to

Months ago, we told you about space for rent at 2101 Christian St., a very small storefront in a very handsome building that has been meticulously rehabbed over the past year. Originally, the owners of the property had intended to open a sandwich shop in the space, but other opportunities came calling, which resulted in an available corner commercial space on Christian Street.

The retail space

From a distance

In the last couple of weeks, the For Rent signs came down. And as you can see in the photo above, zoning notices were recently affixed to the property, clearly indicating that a tenant has been found. Who is it, you may ask?

Walnut Street

Closer look

American Mortals is a popular salon on the 700 block of Walnut Street that…

We snuck up to grab a slice of Charlie Mayfer from Pizza Brain the other day, and a Frankford Avenue property we’ve passed by dozens of times caught our eye whilst on our way. Once we finished devouring the deliciousness, we trekked back to 1431-35 Frankford Ave. to take a look-see.

A beaut

The property has been vacant for at least the last couple of years, and probably longer. We took a peek at the sale records, and determined that it was previously a hot dog/sandwich place in the 1990s, and a breakfast/luncheonette in the early part of the 2000s. It was purchased by Old Towne Properties Inc back in 2005, and was put back on the market in 2009 for $125K. It’s been on and off the market over the last couple of years, but its currently actively…