Bart Blatstein’s Tower Investments Owns the Warehouse That Burned in Fishtown

Tower Investments—the real estate firm led by Bart Blatstein—owns the warehouse that burned in Fishtown this morning. The four-alarm fire screwed up your morning commute by preventing service on the No. 15 trolley and the Market-Frankford El. One firefighter was injured in a fall. Hidden City has more on Tower Investments and the property.

Our investigation into the site reveals that for years it hasn’t been secured; people have been regularly seen going in and out–and more recently there have been reports of construction activity inside. We are awaiting confirmation on the level and type of that activity.

They also point out that it’s not the first time that a Tower Investments building in the area has burned.

Tower’s record on securing empty buildings is poor, as we reported last year on the Ortlieb’s brewery nearby.

This is the second fire in that complex in the last 3-4 years. There was a small fire that destroyed much of the roof of the garage that was the southernmost building in the complex, and there was also a fire directly across Hope Street. That property is now being turned into condos. [Hidden City]