Construction has been finished at a three-story, single-family rowhouse at 1831 South 4th Street in Wharton, South Philadelphia, as revealed by Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit. The structure replaces a vacant site at the northeast corner of Sough 4th and Sigel streets and includes a cellar and a roof deck, which likely offers open vistas due to the building’s relatively prominent height. Permits list Enam Abazi as the owner and Gezim Kupa as the contractor. The construction cost is specified at $120,000.
1831 South 4th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
1831 South 4th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
1831 South 4th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
1831 South 4th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
1831 South 4th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
The site has a somewhat complicated development history. Until 2016, the lot sat vacant and enclosed with a chain link fence. A permit for the construction of a three-story single-family dwelling with a cellar and a roof deck was filed in January of that year. Foundations were in place by June 2017. Within a year, a three-story wooden superstructure rose at the site, roughly matching the dimensions of the final structure but, surprisingly, lacking any windows on its broad south-facing side.
Since that point, the boarded-up wooden structure sat largely unchanged until it was torn down some time between late 2018 and 2019, having stood for barely over a year. City records reveal that the structure was found to be unsafe, requiring the demolition.
1831 South 4th Street. Looking northeast. August 2016. Credit: Google Maps
The now-demolished structure at 1831 South 4th Street. Looking northeast. September 2017. Credit: Google Maps
1831 South 4th Street. Looking northeast. October 2019. Credit: Google Maps
The current replacement building is reasonably attractive, sporting a facade of red and gray brick with horizontal gray siding on the south wall. The development is rather far removed from the subway with the Tasker-Morris station on the Broad Street Line situated within a 20-minute walk to the northwest, though the 37 bus runs along Moyamensing Avenue a block to the east. The property also sits within a 15-minute walk to “big box” retailers along the Delaware River waterfront to the east, with the waterfront trail situated directly behind.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I’d like to know how they could build a three-story house for $120K…???
We haven’t looked at construction receipts or anything. We’re just literally reporting what it says on the permits, for transparency’s sake, and honestly can’t verify whether that was the actual final cost or not.
I love how the facade goes from cheap on the front, cheaper on the side and cheapest on the back.