Photo via International Association of Firefighters Local 36

Capitol Hill institution Frager’s Hardware will return to its location on Pennsylvania Avenue SE as a tenant in a new development.

As Hill Rag reported, the decision to sell the property was made in part because of the anticipated expense to preserve the historic facade, which was heavily damaged by a four-alarm fire in June 2013. Roadside Development, which redeveloped the O Street Market in Shaw, was selected to purchase Frager’s property and rebuild it.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support and patience from our loyal customers and the Capitol Hill community as we evaluated our options to restore the original site,” John Weintraub, Frager’s owner, said in a press release [PDF]. “Over the past year, we studied the site extensively, removed environmentally sensitive materials, conducted several structural analyses and evaluated the costs to rebuild the site. We learned that the fire damaged the site so severely that, even with insurance proceeds, we could not afford to rebuild the site alone.”

In the release, Roadside says it “intends to preserve the existing Pennsylvania Avenue and 11th Street facades. Accordingly, contractors and other consultants will conduct limited immediate repairs to the site as well as perform testing over the next few months to inform the preservation approach and identify future development opportunities and constraints.” Construction will take at least 18 months, according to the Washington Business Journal.

As the redevelopment takes place, Frager’s will continue to operate out of its temporary locations at Eastern Market and on Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street SE.