When this house last sold, the buyer paid only $51,000, and then held onto it for nearly forty years. Now that it's back on the market, the asking price is a little (ok, more than 2000%) higher, but it's certainly justified.
Though the house might lack some of the fancier flourishes of other Rittenhouse homes, it's thoughtfully appointed and includes both a roof deck and a modern, fully equipped kitchen. The bathroom was also redone in a more modern style, so the drawbacks common to early 19th century townhomes aren't found here.
Broker babble is set on convincing buyers that this house, though it was not designed by Frank Furness, is so Furness-like that they should buy it anyway: the "signature Furness staircase" doesn't look a whole lot different from other staircases in homes built at the same time.
The selling points for this house, though, are the carefully restored historic details: stained glass windows, carved wooden fireplaces, a sweeping staircase, and lots of other small features make the home perfect for the right buyer. It's not a mansion, and it's perhaps less showy than the huge, boxy contemporary home that could be had for the same price in the Graduate Hospital or perhaps in NoLibs, but it's a unique, well restored place surfacing after almost half a century off the market.
House vitals:
Size: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2,133 sq ft
Amenities include: Stained glass windows, ribbon wood floors, roof deck, lavish kitchen, skylight, marble bathroom, tons of carved wood, bay windows.
Asking price: $1,250,000
· 321 South 18th Street [Philadelphia PA]
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