Allen Street is looking better and better these days, thanks to a couple of remarkable developments that include the resurrection of the The Puritan building, and work underway on the Red Jacket building.
That means that there are only a few key parcels left to tackle on this precious street.
First off is 15 Allen Street, which looks pretty much gutted on the inside and like a tragic mess from the outside. The doors are boarded up and the shop windows have nasty old sheets hanging on them. It’s as if someone died and the bequeathed left the place in tatters. This building sits within spitting distance of the Medical Campus. So either the owner is waiting for a big payout, or the building has fallen between the cracks and is in title litigation. There is no reason that Allentown should suffer at the hands of this disgrace, especially when the rest of the street is gaining so much traction.
This brick beauty has almost been purchased and updated a couple of times, but in the end the deals fell through and nothing ever happened. I was able to walk through 46 Allen a couple of weeks ago, when the realtor was showing a potential buyer. The inside, while dated, is in surprisingly good condition. Hopefully 2016 will be the year that a loving buyer purchases this relic, and fixes it up accordingly. It’s perfectly situated (near Franklin) to become a productive member of society once more. The right owner could do some handy-dandy work on the interior and exterior, and have a solid investment to show for it.
Ah, 185 Allen Street. What can we say about this place other than it’s a crime to still sit empty? The other day I received an email from someone who went through the place when the Canadian owner was present. He told me that the owner is “… in a league of his own.” He added that the owner often times appeared agitated when questions were asked. Apparently he is looking for a cash cow tenant who will tackle the entire build out, but he’s in no hurry to land that tenant, as we can plainly see… the building has been sitting vacant and looking like garbage for upwards of 15 years. It’s widely said that the owner uses it as a crash pad when he comes to ‘escape’ to Buffalo. Here’s the listing.