It was such a shame about that fire. Now the above commenters are right: the rear of the structure/s should be removed and replaced but that could be too expensive for Greenleaf so if there's any way to salvage the floors and restore them as they are (sans hideous bricked lower storey) then godspeed to them. Buffalo is watching...
Both these projects would be great for the neighborhood. Investment needs to push past main st and into the fruit belt area. With the hundreds or thousands of doctors and other professionals working in that neighborhood its amazing that its so decrepit still
It will be a great shame if the city allows that building to be demolished.
As I have said many times before....the Borsche Building facade should be saved and thats it. Demolish the rear and rebuild it and a new building will be better than the old.
Finally with the expansion of the Life Sciences Campus it is not just viable but profitable to save the facades of some of our historic street scapes..still much work remains to be done on Main Street!
(but losing the Borsche and losing that streetscape would be a major loss to the future of Main Street which has more than enough empty lots for modern/contemporary infill.)
This location has everything going for it: it’s part of a block with outstanding, cohesive architecture. It’s across the street from Metro Rail, and next door to the striking Red Jacket, at a major gateway to Allentown. It’s surrounded by those achingly beautiful, vibrant streetscapes which make people smitten with Allentown. And it’s right next door to a vanishing breed: a fully-stocked urban arts supply store -- in My Fair City we have but one left, and nowhere near this good.
Also, it’s just up Main Street from the Granite Works, another situation - like the Bosche/Summit Building - where City-owned, neglected buildings came to the brink of demolition, despite their architectural significance, economic value, and reuse potential. The situation with the Bosche/Summit Building makes one wonder if any lasting lessons were learned at City Hall from Granite Works.
hopefully any reno work will get rid of those horrid street front brick walls
I think a big issue with these properties is access to the rear of the buildings. Demolition of the rear while saving the front is impossible unless you can get to it from behind. These need to be saved!
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