Hard Hat Tour: 6300 City Avenue

6300 City Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19151 | Photos: Sandy Smith unless otherwise indicated

I have a confession to make: even though they usually lack such amenities as balconies or gyms or community rooms, I think that apartment buildings built in the 1920s are the nicest around. They usually have large, sunny rooms and character newer units just don’t have.

But along with those large, sunny rooms come cramped kitchens and outdated bathrooms. And so it was with pleasure that I accepted an invitation from Timothy Garrity at Copper Hill Real Estate to take a tour of work nearing completion on City Avenue at 63rd Street, just across from Overbrook Regional Rail station.

6300 City Ave., also known as Wynnewood Hall, is an English Gothic Revival apartment house dating to the early 1920s. An affiliate of Dempsey Development and Brokerage called 6300 City Line DP Partners LP bought the building and the parking lot next to it from St. Joseph’s University in March of last year for $3.25 million, according to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to that same report, the partnership plans on erecting a new building on that parking lot, but Garrity explained that their plan now is to wait until this building is completed and leased before proceeding with the second phase of the project. The first phase, renovation of the building that St. Joe’s had been using as student housing, is well on its way towards completion.

This building’s renovation has gotten rid of the cramped kitchens, and while the bathrooms are still compact, they’ve been updated with new fixtures and vintage-style tile tub enclosures. In a few places, it’s even left some brick walls exposed for an extra touch of style.

This building will contain 56 units in all: 12 studio apartments and 44 one-bedroom units. The only amenities in this building will be a laundry room and a basement lounge with a big-screen TV. The studios all rent for $1030 per month, and the one-bedroom units range from $1255 to $1505 per month, depending on layout and location. Garrity couldn’t state this for certain, but he speculated that additional amenities would be contained in the new building.

When I visited the property on June 1st, two model apartments had already been fitted out, and the fourth-floor apartments were close to move-in ready. The photos below show how the developer has updated the units while preserving their classic character. As a bonus, Garrity provided photos from before work got under way in earnest; these help highlight the degree of transformation that’s taking place inside.

Wynnewood Hall: Before

Basement water heater and plumbing. | All photos in this gallery via Copper Hill Real Estate

The old central furnace.

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A kitchen in one of the old apartments.

A hallway into the bedroom of a one-bedroom apartment.

French doors separating rooms in an old apartment.

The living room of that apartment.

The steam heat system was removed completely.

Double-paned windows had been installed in the building.

The main staircase.

A side room in one apartment. These were combined with living rooms to make an open main space.

A hallway on an upper floor.

A building hallway after the removal of unit doors for reconstruction.

6300 City Ave.: The Renovation

The living room in the model one-bedroom apartment.

The water heater and climate control unit.

The kitchen in the model unit.

The kitchen, showing its breakfast nook.

A closeup of the breakfast nook.

The original flooring has been preserved to the greatest extent possible, but some patches were necessary.

A view of the bedroom through an archway.

The model unit's bedroom has plenty of windows.

The east-facing bedroom wall.

The bedroom entryway.

The bedroom's closet wall, viewed through the archway.

The bathroom in the model unit.

The bathtub enclosures in every unit are lined with large subway tiles.

The bedroom in a one-bedroom side unit nearing completion.

The living room in the side unit.

The side unit's kitchen.

The view from the rear fire stairs on the fourth floor.

The Center City skyline is visible in the distance.

Another one-bedroom unit, this one not quite as far along.

The floors, which have been refinished, are protected by cardboard and paper...

...while installation of kitchen appliances takes place.

The cabinetry in this unit has yet to be installed...

and the electrical outlets remain to be put in place.

New windows have been installed...

...but the original frames remain in place, awaiting refinishing.

The inner entrance doors to the first floor. Its marble flooring will be restored while linoleum on the upper floors will be replaced.

Leaded glass windows grace the transom over the main entrance doors...

...as well as the windows flanking them.

The building's front elevation.

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