It's a shame that a building with such beautiful bones continues to sit in such a poor, under-utilized state.
Note - the above pictures were taken a few months ago.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Eyesore: 1337 11th Street
Located at the corner of 11th and O, 1337 11th Street is an eyesore. The upper floors are vacant and boarded (thanks to ANC2f's diligent efforts, documented here). The ground floor boasts the foreboading "Annex Market," a store that, according to an outside sign, moved from 1400 7th Street some time ago.
It's a shame that a building with such beautiful bones continues to sit in such a poor, under-utilized state.
It's a shame that a building with such beautiful bones continues to sit in such a poor, under-utilized state.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
It has a lovely looking facade. The bones, as far as we know are asbestos encrusted dry-rotted termited holed things socketed in crumbly brick walls covered by a leaky roof.
Unless, you happen to know something about the interior....
Thanks for reigning me in--By "bones" I guess I meant facade; I know nothing about the structural integrity of the place.
Nonetheless, I think it's an important "gateway" building/location, so I hope something positive occurs here soon. In its present shape and with its current retail tenant, it does nothing to draw the pedestrian east on O Street.
Whenever I walk by that building I always think about its potential. Great location on 11th for ground floor retail or a cafe, and the building isn't bad looking underneath all the peeling paint and rotting wood. Maybe someone can scoop it up for a bargain and do something with it that contributes to the neighborhood?
Apparently, the neighbors tried to buy this place years back to renovate and put in a cafe, but the owner pulled out and rented it out to the sketchy business mentioned that used to operate at that 7th street address... it looks like the owner is yet another one who's sitting on an eyesore waiting to make more bucks at some unknown point in the future.
interesting, Anon.
It appears that the property is not considered vacant according to the online tax database. I guess that makes sense in theory, as it's not completely vacant, but it seems that it should be deemed partially vacant at very least given the fact that most of the place is boarded up (and often graffitied).
ShawRez, i completely agree with you. I think that having that shady business in there should not remove accountability for the largely vacant and unsafe building. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the owner doesn't care about the neighborhood, and has no interest in improvements. I don't know how much longer the lease lasts for the current retail tenant, but i hope that when it expires, that might provide at least some incentive for a sale. i can't imagine a legitimate business wanting to set up in there, as the structure stands today. The sad part is that - as you mentioned - it could be an incredible asset to the neighborhood if renovated properly..
ps - the neighbors had to fight about five years back (successfully) to prevent sales of alcohol singles by the owner of the retail component, who had apparently been in trouble for selling drug paraphernalia at the 7th street location...
What shady business are you talking about? Are you talking about the place where people send money orders around the world? Since when is Western Union a shady business?
I've never set foot in it, so cannot and do not comment on what goes on inside. Certainly I wouldn't normally think a Western Union is inherently shady.
In my opinion, though, the Annex Market doesn't appear to be a very inviting place from the street. The signage and upkeep do not evidence a thriving, community-enhancing business. The grates over the front doors and windows make the area and possibly the store seem dangerous.
Post a Comment