July Top Dollar Homes

Center City, 19107
$1,196,500 1101 Locust St 6 H, 3 bedroom, 3 full bath, 2188 sq. ft.

Society Hill, 19106
$1,110,900 22 S Front, 4 bedroom, 3 full baths, 2300 sq. ft.

Center City, 19102
$1,250,000 50 S. 16th 4401 2 bedroom, 2 and a half baths, 1875 sq. ft.

Rittenhouse, 19103
$1,650,000 264 S. Van Pelt, 6 bedroom, 3 full and 1half bath, 4,000 sq. ft.

Art Museum, 19130
$625,000 643 N 17th St, 3 bedroom, 3 full bath, 3200 sq. ft.

Graduate Hospital/Rittenhouse, 19146
$1,070,000 1506 Lombard, 4 bedroom, 2 full bath, 1 half bath, 3,500 sq. ft.

Bella Vista 19147
$705,000 514 S. Darien, 3 bedroom, 3 full baths, 1 half bath, 2900 sq. ft.

Northern Liberties 19123
$650,000 157-59 Poplar, 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, 4200 sq. ft.

Will the Home Buyer Tax Credit Be Back?

With July home sales down about 30 percent.  Many are asking if the government will intervene again to help the housing market.  United Press International reports Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan is not ruling out the possibility of bringing back the tax credit

Donovan said on CNN's State of the Union show yesterday that it is "too soon to say" whether the administration's $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit tax credit, which expired April 30, will be revived."All I can tell you is that we are watching very carefully," 

Donovan said. "We're going to be focused like a laser on where the housing market is moving going forward, and we are going to go everywhere we can to make sure this market stabilizes and recovers."

 The tax credit combined with the record low interest rates would make investing in the housing market more affordable than ever before.  It will be interesting to see what HUD decides to do.

Torpedo Found and Dragged to Port Richmond

Finders is not keepers for two men who found a 1,000 pound torpedo in the Delaware River.  The Inquirer reports an archaeological crew responded and found the two men sitting on the torpedo drinking beers.  The beers were much deserved after it took the men 6 hours to drag the torpedo ashore.  Established military regulation require the men to give their catch back, but they have their 15 minutes of fame.

                                                    Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Photographer

Bad Bays

Photo: Brownstoner Philly

I have recently read stories on Plan Philly and Brownstoner Philly about new construction bays.  I myself have noticed the new bay windows that are completely devoid of the charm and character we come to expect from this architectural feature.  In an effort to create the most amount of livable square footage, developers have created huge box bays.  These windows are typically covered in stucco or other price conscious materials.  They also take up much of the facade of the building.  Graduate hospital and Washington Square West neighbors are calling the city in droves to complain.  Brownstoner featured the efforts of the South of South Neighborhood Association to get clarification on/changes to the zoning that has allowed these bays to be approved.  Recently the residents of Bradford Alley in Wash Sq. West have encountered the wrath of the bays.  Plan Philly reports on a colossal new construction duplex that received approval to build only 2 1/2 feet from the street then began to build protruding bays.  Neighbors feel it blocks sunlight to the street and hurts the historic charm of the street.  Below is a picture of the Bradford Alley new construction.  Hopefully the attention to this particular new construction aesthetic will help bring about some changes.

Photo: Plan Philly

Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission published a comprehensive guide to owning a rowhouse.  For housing geeks like me it is riveting reading, but for others with a life, it is easy to browse.  Here is the table of contents for the manual:
History of the Philadelphia Rowhouse

• Colonial to early 19th Century
• Mid to late 19th Century
• 20th Century

Outside the Rowhouse

• Exterior Walls
• Insulation, Vapor Barriers and Air Quality
• Porches, Steps, and Stoops
• Windows
• Up on the Roof 
• Plantings and Gardens
• Parking

Inside the Rowhouse

• First Floor
• Kitchens and Laundry
• Stairs
• Bedrooms and Closets
• Bathrooms
• Flexible Spaces
• Basements
• Interior Materials
• Mechanical Systems
• Structural Considerations

Your Rowhouse

• The House is Too Small-A Case Study
• The House is Too Large-A Case Study
• Maintaining a Rowhouse
• Renovations and Additions
• Permits and Codes
• Resources

Giant Three-Way Plug is New Addition to Philadelphia Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden

The Inquirer reports Claes Oldenburg's Giant Three-Way Plug "was at last plugged in" to the art museum's sculpture garden this morning.  Other Oldenburg sculptures in the city include the Clothespin at 15th and Market and Split Button on the Penn Campus.

   
David Swanson / Staff Photographer Philadelphia Inquirer

Update: Historical Commission votes to allow demolition of 11th and Spring Garden Church

PlanPhilly reports "The Church of the Assumption, the historic 19th-century church at 11th and Spring Garden Streets, moved closer to demolition on Tuesday, when the architectural committee of the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to grant the owner permission to raze the building based on financial hardship".