For years, the Ludwig Apartment Building, a 4-story Art Deco building situated at 8326-36 Halls Ferry Road (just west of Broadway), has sat vacant and decaying. Going back to 2007 on Google Street View, it's clear that the building hasn't been occupied for around 17 years. Over those 17 years, Baden's population has declined, but the buildings with businesses along Broadway have been maintained (although vacancy is still higher than desired) and Broadway's sidewalks even received a facelift about 6 years ago. Opportunity certainly abounds in this far-North City neighborhood.
This past week, I found myself in the Baden neighborhood checking things out. To my surprise, the Ludwig Building was still standing. When I first saw it several years ago, I figured it would be demolished as that's the unfortunate fate many buildings face around here. A dumpster was out front, and a small crew were taking things out of the building and tossing them into the trash. I went and checked the city's building permit database and found that a permit for interior/exterior alterations was applied for on August 26th and issued on October 11th. The permit's value: $390,000. A low amount, but it's a starting point.
Knowing that the property owner is investing money into this key building is great news. As we all know, the City has lost far too many buildings over the past several decades. This is especially true in North City. Restoring a building, like the Ludwig, aids in building the community (new residents in an existing building next to commercial tenants) and strengthening neighborhood pride (preserving a grand building instead of demolition for a parking lot or grassy field). Redevelopment can also lead to increased safety due to building lighting, security cameras, and residents.
The Ludwig Apartments were built in 1929, had 35 apartments (most of which were efficiency), and 8 retail bays fronting both Halls Ferry and Muriel. The building also featured an elevator and has a garage. It's unclear if the developer, which City property records list as Houssein Al-Eidan/Eidan Legacy LLC, intends to keep the previous unit and retail bay counts in the redeveloped building or take a different path.
I'll pay attention to this project as time progresses as it'll join the Baden School in bringing new housing options to the neighborhood.
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