Just Listed: Rehabbed Vintage Row House in Rittenhouse
This charming house on an equally charming block boasts two features not often found on rowhouses in Center City: A rear deck and parking for two cars.
1703 Addison St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 | Photos: Alcove Media via Keller Williams Philly
I’ve been known to tell visitors and natives alike that “Philadelphia is underrated, and nobody underrates it more than the locals.”
According to The Huffington Post, one of those things about this town that people underrate is Addison Street in Rittenhouse Square. It lacks the cachet of Delancey Street, a block to its north, but that didn’t faze writer Ellie Krupnick, who included in her 2014 article “31 Reasons Philadelphia Is The Most Underrated City in America” this statement:
“Addison Street is arguably the prettiest street in the entire Northeast.”
That’s a pretty bold claim, but if the other houses that line it are as gorgeous as this house for sale is, it’s defensible. (The photo above provides evidence that they are.)
The owners of this 19th-century rowhouse have rehabilitated it, inside and out, in the spirit of its original architecture. In rehabbing it, they also inserted a lot of very nice 21st-century features.
Main floor
As a result, in many places, it’s hard to tell the new apart from the old. Take the open main floor, for instance. Its wood-burning fireplace is original, as is the repointed brick, but its layout is totally modern. So are the crown moldings and wainscoting, which hearken back to Colonial style.
Kitchen
So do the cabinets in the kitchen, right down to the beveled-glass-fronted china cabinets. The glass, however, comes from Restoration Glass, which specializes in reproducing the type of window glass made from the 17th to the early 20th centuries. This house may not be the White House, Mount Vernon or Monticello, but it shares with those three landmarks this authentic period glass. The Liebherr, Bosch and Jenn-Air appliances, however, are totally 21st-century.
Basement
The beamed ceiling in the finished basement is definitely original. The space itself got turned into a beautiful flex room that could serve as a rec room, media room, playroom, home office or gym.
Master bedroom
Master bathroom
The three upstairs bedrooms likewise look old through the use of new woodwork, while the two full bathrooms feature modern fixtures and fittings that match that classic style.
Rear deck
The master bedroom has attached to it one of two features that really make this house stand out from its neighbors and from most other Center City townhouses. Its spacious rear deck lets you enjoy the outdoors and offers a view of the attractive mural at the end of the block.
Parking apron
That deck covers the other feature: Parking for two cars.
This house sits on the block that’s featured in that HuffPost article. At night, it sparkles with decorative lights wrapped around its tree trunks. And day and night, it’s close to all the things people love about Center City living: great shopping, fine dining, and work if you play your cards right, all within walking distance. You might even be able to give up your cars and rent out the parking spaces to a neighbor, thus helping pay your mortgage.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 1,350
SALE PRICE: $935,000
OTHER STUFF: This house for sale will be open for tours on Saturday, May 11th, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
1703 Addison St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 [Jesse Barnes | Real Estate Matters | Keller Williams Philly]
