A year after Frager’s Hardware on Capitol Hill was destroyed by a fire, Roadside Development announced today that it is purchasing the store’s century-old home to build a renovated space for Frager’s topped by new residences.

Frager’s has operated out of temporary locations on the Hill while its owner, John Weintraub, sought a development partner to rebuild the building at 1101-1117 Pennsylvania Ave. SE where it had been located since 1920. Weintraub ultimately selected Roadside, citing its track record of adaptive reuse in developments that incorporated old structures, like the CityMarket at O project on the site of the former O Street Market in Shaw.

Roadside will build residences above the retail space to offset the cost of the development. The company doesn’t yet know how many residences there will be; that depends on the design for the site, according to Lionel Lynch, Roadside’s director of new development. Roadside doesn’t intend to pursue a change to the zoning for the site, Lynch says. The building is located in a C-2-A zone, allowing Roadside to build up to 50 feet.

Frager’s will return to the building under a long-term lease when construction is complete. Roadside plans to preserve the building’s historic facade.

Photo by Jenny Rogers