The Cat in the Hat in Grays Ferry for $335K
The city's zoning rules for third-story add-ons are meant to keep them from disrupting the rhythm of a block's cornice line. This builder decided to acknowledge reality instead with a master suite add-on.
2727 Latona St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 | Bright MLS images via Coldwell Banker Preferred
Thing One: Two-story rowhouses don’t have the kind of space modern buyers want. That means that a builder who gets their hands on one usually has to add something to the house to make it fit modern demands. That usually means
Thing Two: A third-story add-on, which under the terms of the city zoning code must be set back from the cornice line if there are no other three-story rowhouses on a block. This requirement is meant to make the third story disappear to someone walking past it. Except it doesn’t, because the setback is too shallow for that to happen. So this builder figured that
Thing Three: Might as well make that sore thumb really stick out, but in a colorful fashion, so to speak.
Thus we get the checkerboard cap on this rebuilt 1920s rowhouse in Grays Ferry that, at least to this writer, recalls a certain famous children’s-book character.
Yes, that hat was red and white, and the cat black and white. This merely reverses the color scheme, sort of.
Main floor
Inside, the home is all bright and sparkly, and done up in neutral colors, of course, save for those exposed-brick (or are they brick veneer?) accent walls on the main and second floors.
Kitchen
Kitchen
The kitchen is a little larger than usual for rehabs of this type. Its white traditional cabinets also depart from the rowhouse-rehab standard, as does its grey glass-tile backsplash. It’s awaiting the arrival of its stainless steel appliances, save for the microwave and dishwasher, but one of the things it’s waiting for looks like it will be a wine fridge, a nice extra at this price point. You get to choose which appliances, by the way.
Bathroom
Master bedroom
The bedrooms have ample closet space and energy-saving ceiling fans. The master suite on the add-on floor has its own private balcony, and a roof deck with great 360-degree views tops everything off. There’s also a finished basement that can play a number of roles and a paved rear courtyard that’s just right for grilling and chilling.
Roof deck
Rear patio
You’re also close to neighborhood shopping on Grays Ferry Avenue and SEPTA bus service to Center City and West Philly. The Grays Ferry Crescent section of the Schuylkill River Trail and the Penn campus are both a pleasant* bike ride away.
*Once you’ve made your way through the 34th and Grays Ferry intersection, that is.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 946
SALE PRICE: $335,000
2727 Latona St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146 [Lawrence Resnick | Jordan Brody & Co. | Coldwell Banker Preferred]
