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A 274-year-old Georgian-style rowhome in Society Hill that’s steeped in history has hit the market, just begging for a new owner to bring it back to life.
The home at 226 Spruce Street dates back to 1743, when it was built for a man named Charles Townsend. He was, among a number of things, a carter (essentially a delivery person), a laborer, and one of the volunteer firefighters on the Philadelphia Fire Company organized by Ben Franklin.
Records show that Townsend was also a landowner. His inherited a bunch of farmland at 6th and Walnut, which later became home to Independence Hall. But he built his home at 226 Spruce Street, which would see three generations live here.
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Today, the home clocks in at 1,800 square feet and features three bedrooms and two and a half baths. It seems relatively untouched, for the most part, and features original pine floors, three fireplaces, and one room whose walls are almost entirely made of exposed brick.
Of course, there’s a lot of work to be done to bring this home into the 21st century (those two full bathrooms are really something else). But there’s no doubt that the home is full of potential.
The asking price is $795,000. It comes with a deeded parking space that has an annual fee of $1,250.
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- 226 Spruce Street [Fred Manfred, On the Square Real Estate, BHHS Fox & Roach]