Weekend Quickie: Four Homes Worth Copying in Grad Hospital
Newish rowhouses combine industry and grandeur near 16th & Montrose
A Happy Mother’s Day to everyone on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Given the special nature of this weekend, we wanted to make sure your mom had the best material available post-brunch. Anyways, the other day when we were checking out the status of the potential residential return at 16th & Washington, we were beckoned down Montrose St. by some stately looking structures behind the trees. The small flash of orange wire covering always gets our radar pinging (unlike Newark Airport), so we decided to make an unexpected turn towards 1607-13 Montrose St. to check things out.
What you see there are four homes that were finished up in late 2020. This was actually the second iteration of a project here, with an eight-unit condo building originally proposed for the site. After some zoning back and forth, the plans shifted to four extra-wide rowhomes (23’ wide compared to the more typical 16-18’ range) designed by the now defunct S2 Design, who also designed the original eight-unit proposal.
What is now up, however, looks much, much nicer than the paneled jumble of the larger project. These homes directly next door to the Stanton School rise three stories (instead of four thanks to their wide footprints) and provide two-car parking for each unit via two gated drive aisles. The design soars here thanks to some incredible brick work and the presence of industrial-styled windows - a striking contrast of looks that succeeds beyond what one could reasonably expect. Each of these 4,000 sqft homes includes four bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, and a roof deck with some pretty sweet Center City views.
If you’re salivating to get into one of these, we have some bad news: none of these homes are on the market, with all of them having sold in early 2021 in the $1.5-1.6 million range. Whomp whomp. However, wouldn’t it be wonderful to see some similarly styled homes go up across the city? We are really digging this design and couldn’t help but throw some love to a thoughtful, solid project that looks like it will be much the same a century from now (we hope).
Before we leave, we wanted to mention the adjacent building along 16th. This former church and rectory had plans to be turned into a daycare and pricy condos, with a ceiling that would be approved by any Villanova-affiliated popes. However, while the daycare moved ahead, the planned condo space is now filled by The Deacon, “an urban getaway and event space” that can be rented out for a variety of functions. Not a bad second life for this sturdy stunner that went up in 1907 and hosted the likes of Booker T. Washington, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
Amazing what a tiny jog down a little street can reveal, huh? Just another reminder to get out, explore, wander, wonder, and open your eyes to everything that’s right in front of us. It is truly incredibly what is hidden in nearly every corner of Philly, and we’ll be gosh-darned if we don’t try to visit each and every one.
