The long-awaited construction of the blighted Lincoln Apartments in the Gayborhood got underway this spring — with the doors on the new luxury apartment building expected to open early next year.
Like Lincoln’s recent history, the rehab process has been full of ups and downs.
“We hit quite a few unforeseen structural issues that have required extra steel, extra masonry and extra head-scratching. But we’re moving right along now,” said Joe Zajaczkowski, project manager with Venco Building Group, which is spearheading the construction.
The Lincoln, 1222 Locust St., has stood empty since July 2006, when it was gutted by a fire. The building became an eyesore and often attracted a criminal element.
Developer and Philadelphia Residential Development Corporation president David Perlman purchased the building for $2 million last summer with plans to rehab it into a high-end apartment complex. It will offer 44 apartments and one penthouse, with rents ranging from $1,600-$3,000.
After remedying structural issues, construction crews recently began restoring the façade of the building, which dates to the late 1800s.
“We just started the front façade restoration, and did the middle last week,” Zajaczkowski said. “We’re taking the sills off and repairing them and are going to start a solvent wash at the beginning of next week. So you’ll start to see the front of the building getting cleaned up.”
All of the damaged windows have been removed and, with the recent approval from the Philadelphia Historical Commission, new windows were ordered, which crews will start framing next week. Builders are also in the midst of constructing the elevator hoistway.
Zajaczkowski said the close streets and buildings have complicated the process.
“The site is so tight. We have three or four pieces of equipment that the masons are using right now so every time we get a delivery, that’s more people vying for elbow room,” he said. “So we’re progressing slowly, but carefully.”
Zajaczkowski said site managers have worked with nearby U Bar to keep the street as accessible as possible, especially with the higher volumes expected in the summer, including for events like this weekend’s Pride festivities.
The original open date was at the beginning of 2016, which Zajaczkowski said might be adjusted slightly.
“The developer was hopeful we’d make it by the beginning of 2016 but I think that, with the last two or three structural issues, we had to resolve to put a damper on that,” he said. “It set us back maybe two months or so. We’re going to re-evaluate and see if we can re-calculate but right now I would say early next year we’ll be open.”
A name for the complex has not been announced publicly.