Just Listed: Sunny Corner Condo in Queen Village

You won’t be living at the top in this sunny, airy Queen Village condo. But you probably won’t be upset at all living just one floor below it. This unit sits on the third-floor northwest corner: 314-20 Catharine St. #304B, Philadephia, Pa. 19147 | Bright MLS images via Keller Williams Philly

Back in 1911, when the building you see in the photo above was built, Queen Village was one of the epicenters of Philadelphia’s Jewish community, a neighborhood that welcomed tens of thousands of migrants from Eastern Europe, especially the Ukraine. From the 1880s onward, synagogues, schools and businesses sprang up in the area to serve their religious, educational and commercial needs.

This building was one of the schools: the Central Talmud Torah School. It was a free “religious public school” that taught Hebrew, Jewish history and religious studies to Jewish children in the neighborhood after the regular school day ended. As the city’s Jews moved out to roomier quarters in Northwest Philadelphia, its northern suburbs and the Main Line in the years after World War II, the need for a free Jewish school in Queen Village dwindled. The school became a private religious day school in the 1950s and closed its doors for good in 1963.

And it sat vacant until the 1980s, when a developer converted it into its present use as a condominium residence. As with many school and industrial buildings that now house people, this building’s large windows make the individual units very appealing thanks to their abundant natural light.

So it is with this Queen Village modern condo for sale. The developer of these condos made them even brighter and airier through clean modern design, bright white walls and layouts that take advantage of those windows.

This two-bedroom unit sits on the northwest corner of the building’s next-to-top floor. Because this building (a) stands head and shoulders above its much shorter neighbors and (b) has very tall floors, this upper-floor unit both offers great views to the north and west and feels even roomier still.

Bathroom vanity and laundry; primary bedroom at far end

Its layout is indeed very efficient. You enter the apartment via a corridor that takes you past the primary bedroom, which you reach in turn by passing through the bathroom’s anteroom, which contains the vanity and laundry. The toilet and bathtub/shower are in a separate room across from the vanity.

Primary bedroom

And because the primary bedroom faces west, you won’t have to worry about the rising sun waking you before you’re ready to get up if you like sleeping late.

Dining room and kitchen

The corridor ends at the kitchen/dining room combo. The kitchen has a classic galley layout and up-to-date appliances, while the dining area gets natural light via a transom-like window that lets light in from the second bedroom.

Living room

You access that second bedroom from the living room, which is at once open to the dining area yet separated from it by a modern fireplace.

Not only is this Queen Village modern condo for sale attractive, however. It’s also attractively located. To your east, Mario Lanza Park and the Delaware riverfront. To the west, Weccacoe Playground, Fabric Row and the Italian Market. To the north, South Street and Head House Square, and to the south, Washington Avenue and its variety of shops and eateries. In other words, you’re just a short walk away from a world of great dining, shopping and entertainment in every direction.

Once upon a time, children learned about their culture and religion here. You, on the other hand, will be very smart if you buy this condo.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 2

BATHS: 1

SQUARE FEET: 873

SALE PRICE: $375,000

OTHER STUFF: A $270 monthly condo fee covers building and common area maintenance and insurance.

314-20 Catharine St. #304B, Philadelphia, Pa. 19147 [Philly Living Team |Keller Williams Philly]