Disregard the Grandma touches for a moment when considering this Hopkinson House condo. The building played an important role in the revitalization of Washington Square during the time when late city planner Edmund Bacon (father of Kevin)—among many others—set out to remake Society Hill. The high-rise was designed by Le Corbusier disciple Oskar Gregory Stonorov, who had studied sculpture in Paris, but was now a colleague of Louis Kahn's in Philadelphia. The building was fitted out with a number of artistic grace notes to celebrate its momentous arrival, including a sculpture by Stonorov himself, an enormous mural by realist painter Lucius Crowell, and a sculptural wall by Italian artist and Fellini associate Iorio Vivarelli. These days, there's not much to memorialize the building's history. It seems like just another condo on Washington Square—and a kind of musty one, at that. It is rather amenity-laden—though not without cost. The rooftop pool, for instance, quite a phenomenal perk, is an add-on, and guests have to pay to swim with you. Parking costs $145 per month, but given the lack of street parking near the building, it's almost unavoidable (there is a bicycle room, though: go green!). The condo fee covers all utilities and a 24-hour concierge.
There's also a mini universe on-site, including a library, a solarium, a hair salon, a bank, a grocery store, book groups, exercise classes, courtyard concerts and more. Perhaps best of all, this 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom overlooks now beautiful Washington Square park—and there's no charge for that.
Size: 1 bed, 1 bath, 1,063 square feet
HOA Fee: $688
Price: $344,000
· Listing: 604-636 S Washington Sq #2612 [Zillow]
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