On the Market: Penthouse Apartments on Washington Square

Looking for a designer apartment with a view? Rent the penthouse unit in the Lyndon at 170 S. Independence Mall West, Unit 1126, Philadelphia, PA 19106, and the leasing agent can put you in touch with the Lyndon resident who designed Unit 1130, whose photos you see here. It will be available — unfurnished — in mid-October. / Photography by Sandy Smith except where noted

Do you recall my showing you the last apartment to be completed at the Lyndon, the apartment building in the Curtis, where Washington and Independence squares meet?

That unit and its döppelganger on the southwest corner of the 11th floor are now available for rent or will be soon.

For the photos of Apartment 1126, you may refer to the feature I wrote on it back in August of 2021. (After all, they’re the same photos you will find in the online listing for the unit.) There you will also find pictures of some of the Lyndon’s many amenities, which include a clubhouse lounge, game room, demonstration kitchen, meeting room, fitness center and screening room.

Today, however, I’d like to show you its sibling, Apartment 1130. This Lyndon penthouse apartment for rent comes with an optional feature you can take advantage of if you’d like: an interior designer.

TobyLynn Lichtenstein and Vivienne Schweppe

This is TobyLynn Lichtenstein, an interior designer who lives at the Lyndon. With her is Vivienne Schweppe, the adorable daughter of Apartment 1130’s departing tenant, Olivia.

Olivia and TobyLynn became not only client and contractor but also friends after Schweppe moved in. And while this apartment, like all Lyndon apartments, comes unfurnished, Jennifer Ballard, leasing director for apartment manager Stonehenge Advisors, says, “If people request it, we will absolutely furnish units.”

So here’s the look you could achieve if you leased this apartment and then asked Ballard for Lichtenstein’s contact information.

Apartment 1130, like its northwest-corner counterpart, has an open main living area in its corner. That means it gets flooded with light through its wraparound windows throughout the day.

Dining room and kitchen

And it has a kitchen that is well-defined thanks to the peninsula separating it from the dining room.

Kitchen

Its cabinetry harmonizes with the classical lines of the apartment, but its stainless-steel appliances are as sleek and modern as they come. The kitchen even has a double-wide wine fridge.

The apartment is classed as a three-bedroom unit since the third bedroom gets natural light from its frosted glass door. But it works just as well, or maybe better, as a two-bedroom unit with a den.

Primary bedroom

Both the primary bedroom above and the second bedroom below have walls of windows like those in the main living area. Lichtenstein hadn’t put the finishing touches on the primary bedroom when I visited; wall sconces had arrived but had yet to be installed.

Bedroom

The two larger bedrooms also have en-suite bathrooms.

Study (bedroom)

Study (bedroom)

The smaller third bedroom functions well as a study, den or home office.

And you might want to note the distinctive lighting fixtures in all three bedrooms. (The lighting in the main living area is original to the unit.)

South terrace, looking east (left) and west (right) / Photographs by TobyLynn Lichtenstein

The terrace on its south and west sides offers great views to the south, southwest and west. You can look down on Washington Square and watch the sunset over the Center City skyline.

This unit and its mirror image are located in a historic landmark right on the edge of the Historic Square Mile. Independence Hall sits across the street on Independence Square, and the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution lies beneath the grass of Washington Square along with hundreds of his comrades. Performing arts, entertainment, shopping and dining options abound both in Old City to its east and Washington Square West to its west.

Apartment 1126* is available now, though for how much longer, I can’t say. Surely some sunset lover is giving it the once-over as you read this, so if you are one of those, you might want to give the leasing office a call right away. But in this case, you don’t have to worry, for if you miss that opportunity, this apartment will be available on October 15th.

Without the furniture you see here, but Lichtenstein would be happy to find some for you, too.

THE FINE PRINT

(figures apply to both units)

BEDS: 3

BATHS: 2 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 1,700

MONTHLY RENT: $12,000

*OTHER STUFF: The listing below is for this unit, but the images and 3-D floor plans are from Apartment 1126.

170 S. Independence Mall West, Unit 1130, Philadelphia, PA 19106 [Stonehenge Realty Advisors via Bright MLS Homes]

Updated Sept. 21st, 6 p.m., to correct the unit numbers.