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Own a Frank Furness House for Less Than a Million Bucks

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Photos by Drew Callaghan

There are many Frank Furness buildings in the Philadelphia area, but most of them aren't the kind you can own. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts? Nope. The Fisher Fine Arts Library at Penn? Sorry (though you can sit on the Claes Oldenburg button and gaze at it lovingly). St. Luke's, First Unitarian, the Ritz-Carlton— these will not be your homes. But if you're a fan of the noted architect and you don't mind (ha) living in Washington Square West, you have a golden opportunity to inhabit a piece of architectural history.
This townhouse between 13th and Broad and Spruce and Locust has three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms in 2,871 square feet. Though the exterior is pure Furness, the house was renovated in 2006, so much of what's inside is relatively new.

Inside, there's a 20-foot span of exposed brick wall, which Furness would certainly appreciate more than a garbage disposal. There's a one-car garage—excellent in this frustratingly parked up neighborhood—and an attic for storage. Most important, though, is the wet bar on the third floor, where you can toast the man the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects once memorialized as its great architect of the past.

The house is listed at $995,000. See? That's less than a million.

· Listing: 1315 Irving St. [Kurfiss]