Spotted in South Kensington: Warehouse to Be Converted Into Seven Loft-Style Apartments

Early rendering via Civetta Property Group Twitter page

Its days as a cabinet factory have long disappeared from the rear view mirror, so it was only a matter of time before the as of late disused warehouse building at 1737 N Howard Street caught the eye of developers looking to convert some fresh space near Fishtown.

Enter Civetta Property Group’s Mike Tomasetti, who teamed up with Doug Fath for this project. Their plans? Repurpose the warehouse into seven loft-style apartments, which Tomasetti tells us will be single- and double-bedroom rentals that are likely to be in the $1,200-$1,600 range.

“We try to repurpose and reuse as many things as we can,” Tomasetti says, noting that once finished, the Norris Square property, which has factory flooring in place, will be festooned with exposed brick, beams, as well as modern amenities. Additionally, a third level will be added, bringing the currently 5,400-square-foot building to 7,200 square feet. For parking, resident drivers can expect unreserved street parking given the site’s proximity to Berks Station.

After receiving approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Tuesday, the building now has multi-unit zoning (it had formerly been zoned residential and used to be the home and workspace of late artist Karl Papendick). “It’d been sitting since 2008,” Tomasetti says, and as such received neighborhood support when plans for its conversion started to formulate.

If all goes accordingly, construction work could start as early as two months from now and end sometime in the final days of November. Leasing is anticipated to start by the end of 2015.

Interesting finds inside the warehouse conversion project. #antique pic.twitter.com/kHPooDRMvs

— Civetta Property Grp (@CivettaProperty) April 8, 2015