Real Estate Showdown: A Colonial Rowhouse vs. A Historic Farmhouse
The asking price: $750,000. Both the city rowhouse and Quakertown farmhouse date back to the 18th century. And both have aged gracefully thanks to thoughtful updates.
Philly Real Estate Showdown: A Quakertown farmhouse or a Queen Village rowhouse? Here’s what $750,000 gets you.
The 18th century lives on in this pair of houses, yet both of them have changed with the times.
706 South Front Street, Queen Village
Living room / Photograph by Jeremy Poley/My Philadelphia Photo
The house in the city dates to 1752; its past includes stints as an inn and a boardinghouse. Its hardwood floors, beamed ceilings, and seven brick fireplaces are all original, as is the back door, which the listing agent says is believed to be the home’s original barn door.
Dining room and kitchen / Photograph by Jeremy Poley/My Philadelphia Photo
Craftsman-style main stairs complement the classic aesthetic, and French doors lead from the living room to a lush rear patio.
Bedroom / Photograph by Jeremy Poley/My Philadelphia Photo
There’s room to add a third bathroom on the top floor. And thanks to I-95, which is across the street (though separated by a small park), this house has a view of the Delaware River.
1375 California Road, Quakertown
Staircase and living room in the historic Quakertown farmhouse / Photograph by Barri Riley
The nucleus of the Quakertown house is a log cabin built in 1734. A two-story stone addition from 1838 now serves as the abode’s center wing, after another historic log house was reassembled on its other side in 1988.
Dining room in the historic Quakertown farmhouse / Photograph by Barri Riley
The original log cabin now contains the formal dining room, and an up-to-date kitchen sits off the breakfast room in the center wing. As for the log-house addition? It features a contemporary wood spiral staircase plus a primary suite with a luxurious spa bath.
Bedroom / Photograph by Barri Riley
A deck spans most of the house’s front and lets you take in some of the wooded splendor of the 10-acre lot. On those acres, you’ll also find a two-stall horse barn, a large building that can serve as a storage shed or workshop, and an 18th-century bakehouse.
Published as “A Colonial Rowhouse vs. A Historic Farmhouse” in the April 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
