Crumbling Old City property appears to have changed hands, again
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
The long dilapidated Trenton China Pottery building at 105 N. 2nd St. is being sold to yet another undisclosed buyer, according to a source with knowledge of the transaction.
One of Old City's most visible blighted properties (actually a series of nine separate structures grouped as a single parcel, encompassing some 55,000 square feet), the one-time home of a local restaurant-supply company has been rotting for the better part of a decade.
Neighbors' hopes were high when an group of "local investors" bought the package of buildings in 2011 for $1.4 million, with intentions of converting the upper floors into residential units. That company, listed on city property records as Pottery Works, LP, appears to headed by a Huntingdon Valley-based landlord named Isaac "Jack" Azran.
That same year, Azran sought and received approval from the Historical Commission to modify architectural elements of the property, whose buildings date from 1840 to 1920, in order to accommodate 36 residential units and ground-floor commercial spaces, according to Commission records. Azran did not return calls for comment today.
What happened after that is unclear, save the fact that no noticeable renovations ever took place. Tax delinquency related to this property and another owned by a company affiliated with Azran, called Cyncon, Inc., suggests financial strain could be a factor. That company owes $19,991.34 in back taxes on a single property in Fishtown, and some time last year, Pottery Works, LP neglected to pay $1,889.55 of its property tax bill for 105 N. 2nd St. Prior to the recent sale, that property would have faced a 2013 tax bill to the tune of $64,423.95.
The new buyers, much like the old buyers, are a mystery for now, as are their plans for the buildings.
