Not long ago, we featured a small gallery of photos of Philadelphia's side streets—the kind that pop up unexpectedly as you're walking somewhere familiar, and then you remember, Oh yeah, that's where this little street is. When Charles Dickens visited Philadelphia, his main complaint was that the city was too regular, too wedded to its grid. He'd give anything, he wrote, for a crooked street. Were he to visit today, he might appreciate a walk near Dirty Frank's, for instance, where modern straight streets lead, unexpectedly, to a warren of cobblestone alleys from another century.
Old City, of course, is probably a better bet than "near Dirty Frank's," and though it now has some signs of modern life (like this loft building), little Cuthbert Street still has cobblestones and historic homes and a sense that it's hiding from the contemporary world. Inside, the apartment mixes the old and new. You've got a wealth of exposed brick and original floors, but a modern open staircase and frameless shower. Let's have a look at the details:
Size: Two bedrooms; two full baths, one partial; private balcony; 1,392 square feet
Price: $539,000 (dropped $10,000 Jan. 23)
Type: Condo
Messy person's bonus: California custom-designed closets with lots of storage
· Listing: 113 Cuthbert St. #3 [Livinphilly]