This two-story brick commercial building is prominently sited at the important intersection of Hemphill and Magnolia. Built in 1927, it first housed the W. B. LaCava Clothes Cleaning business. In 1939, Frank Hamra opened Modern Drugs on the premises, which remains an institution in the area. The building is a contributing resource in the Fairmount-Southside Historic District (national) and was designated as a Historic and Cultural Landmark in 1997. Daedalus Development converted the building, along with the building to the south and 709 and 715-17 Magnolia Avenue, to mixed-use with space for a barbershop, restaurant and a bank on the first floor and loft apartments on the second. Ray Boothe was the architect for the project. The left photo is from 2006.
