Just Listed: Loft Condo in Old City
This 1890s factory building has a varied history that you can read for yourself. Its upper floors now house attractive condo apartments like this sun-splashed beauty.
The whole history of Old City can roughly be distilled into this five-story former factory and the narrow, rowhouse-sized lot it sits on at 320 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106. On the market: Apt. B | Bright MLS images via Keller WIlliams Realty
It took a while for this svelte 1890s industrial building at the corner of Race and Orianna streets in Old City to join the dozens of other such buildings that have become residences since the 1970s.
But join it did, in 2002. And now one of its four full-floor condominium units can be yours.
The history of the lot on which this Old City loft condo for sale sits has been amply documented by one of this city’s best architectural historians, Dennis Carlisle. In a surprisingly suitable-for-work article on this building in Hidden City Philadelphia, Carlisle manages to distill a century and a half of Old City’s evolution into a single five-story building as wide as a standard Philly rowhouse but about twice as tall.
That slender profile combined with its location means this: Fantastic views of the sun setting over the Center City skyline from your windows. Even on the second floor, which is where this Old City loft condo for sale is located.
Main living area
Of course, this building’s provenance means this condo boasts the usual array of industrial-loft-condo design features: exposed brick walls, beamed wood ceilings, exposed ductwork. The pinpoint lights wrapped around the air-conditioning ductwork in the main living area are a very nice additional touch.
Main living area, view from dining room
Also of course, the main living area has a totally open plan. Almost: a low divider separates the galley kitchen from the dining and living areas.
Kitchen
The divider serves as a pass-through counter but also cuts down on space available for cabinets. It’s good, then, that the builder included a pantry closet with this kitchen. Pot racks and shelves make for more-visually-interesting-than-usual above-counter storage.
Beyond the living room, a corridor runs past the laundry, first bedroom and hall bath to the master suite.
Master bedroom
The master suite should provide you with your minimum daily requirement of vitamin D throughout the day thanks to windows that face both north and west.
Master suite closet and bathroom
It’s also efficiently laid out, with a pass-through closet leading to its en-suite bathroom just inside the door from the hallway.
Master bathroom
So we’ve taken care of history and style. Now let’s talk amenities. Besides the nice appliances and in-unit laundry, the biggest of these is its neighborhood. Art galleries, boutique shopping and great dining abound all around you, and Penn’s Landing is just a short walk away.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 2
BATHS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 916
SALE PRICE: $415,000
OTHER STUFF: As this building is self-managed, the condo fees that cover common area and building maintenance and insurance are extremely low.
320 Race St. Apt. B, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 [Andrew Gismondi | Andrew Gismondi Real Estate | Keller Wiliams Philly]
Updated June 17th, 1:45 p.m., to correctly identify the author of the Hidden City article, Dennis Carlisle. We misidentified him as Dennis Culhane originally. Culhane is a professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
