By Hayden Mitman. via HomeNews
On Girard Avenue at Taney Street in Brewerytown, a former illegal boarding house stands broken.
Inside the 9,000-square-foot property, cluttered debris and signs of the historic structure's former life as ramshackle housing litter the building.
Yet, intricately textured walls and ceilings make it known that the dilapidated structure once had been loved.
"It took two years to get this place," said David Waxman as he walked through the structure.
Waxman is one of the owners of the MM Partners, a real estate management and development company rehabilitating properties along this stretch of Girard Avenue.
"The electrical and plumbing weren't good, but the bricks are solid," he said.
"It was an illegal boarding house," noted Jacob Roller, co-owner of MM Partners. "We used to see this sad parade of people going in and out of here ... The smell is still here a little bit."
The building is, indeed, impressive. Looking past a ruined stationary bike, spots of graffiti and a large hole in the second story floor, one can see that the structure had, at one time, been a beautiful building.
In the back of the property, accessed through a hole smashed in the wall where a large mirror had once stood - it's shattered pieces scattered nearby - a small residential unit exists, still in good condition.
"This isn't even close to the worst," said Waxman.
"Yeah, we've seen places that the back of the house was falling off or it was just a brick front and that was it," agreed Roller.
But soon, the men said, the entire property would be something brand new.
"It's going to be awesome," said Waxman.
After a few months of renovations, the property will welcome a new eatery, owned by one of the city's hottest young restaurateurs.
Recently, they said, Mike Stollenwerk, owner of Center City restaurants Fish and Little Fish as well as Fishtown's Fathom, signed paperwork with MM Partners with the intent to bring two new businesses to the structure.
According to the pair, early last week Stollenwerk agreed to bring a new BYO restaurant to one side of the large property, as well as a retail store with take out eats to the other.
While Stollenwerk's representatives did not return repeated calls for comment, the owners of MM Partners said the new businesses are expected to open this fall.
"We are very excited. He's one of the best chefs in the city," said Roller. "He's a very sharp guy."
And, they said, this project is just one of a few they have in the works, as they have a real desire to restore Girard Avenue to the thriving commercial corridor it once was.
In fact, within the last year, Waxman said, MM Partners has helped bring several new businesses to this stretch of Girard Avenue, to the west of Girard College.
"We've got at least twelve new businesses and that's in a year with a bad economy," said Waxman.
Along with Stollenwerk's planned businesses, a new pharmacy has opened at 27th Street and Girard Avenue, a Mugshots Coffee Shop is open at 29th Street and soon, a new bike shop, Color Wheel Bikes, will open along the avenue.
Along with new businesses on this strip, MM Partners started construction on what Roller said is the first housing development to be built north of Girard Avenue in this neighborhood in the past five years, the North 28 housing complex at 1238 N. 28th St.
Here, the company will create a 15-unit housing complex with room for 15 gated parking spots.
"Downtown is full," said Waxman. "People need roofs over their heads. ... What we are trying to do is be very affordable on the residential side."
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