A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has confirmed that construction work is complete at two separate three-story developments at 2503 and 2505 North Mascher Street in West Kensington (note that city records make a rare mistake of omitting “North” from both addresses, while the word is clearly present in the street name itself). Both developments are situated on the east side of the block between West Cumberland and West Huntingdon streets.
The two buildings may be seen on the left-hand side of the photos, behind the vacant corner lot, with 2503 in the foreground left and 2505 directly behind it.
2503 Mascher Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. July 2022
2503 North Mascher Street (2503 Mascher Street as per permits) is a two-family rowhouse that spans 2,241 square feet and features a cellar and a roof deck. The development team consists of Perlinni LLC as the owner, Gnome Architects as the architect, and Gabriel S. Polishuk as the contractor. Permits list a construction cost of $230,000, of which $150,000 is allocated toward general construction, $50,000 for plumbing work, and $15,000 apiece for electrical and mechanical work.
Immediately to the north, 2505 North Mascher Street (2505 Mascher Street as per permits) is a single-family rowhouse that spans 2,156 square feet and, like its neighbor, also features a cellar and a roof deck. The development team consists of NHA Development LLC as the owner, KCA Design Associates as the architect, and LNHA New Homes as the contractor. Permits list a construction cost of $186,150, of which $150,000 is allocated toward general construction, $16,000 for plumbing work, $12,000 mechanical work and $8,500 for electrical work.
Although different in styles, the two designs harmonize well both with one another and with adjacent prewar rowhouses, in large thanks to their proportions and material palettes, despite their Modernist appearance. 2503 North Mascher boasts an attractive white grid inset with gray panels and trilled with red-brown horizontal siding at the fringes. Completed slightly earlier, 2505 North Mascher features a gentle cantilever on the upper two stories, with double windows set within gray and brown panels. The buildings’ differing designs work particularly well in their adjacent context of prewar rowhouses with slightly varying heights and facade colors.
2503 Mascher Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. July 2022
2503 Mascher Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. July 2022
The buildings are part of an influx of new housing rapidly filling numerous empty lots across West Kensington, which was hit particularly hard by the postwar advent of depopulation and demolitions. A 14-unit building is nearing completion across the street at 2500 North Mascher Street, although no development has yet been proposed for the corner lot that features in the photos.
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
Whatever they decide to build on that corner lot, I hope they butt it up close to the brick 3 story house.