Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has confirmed completion of construction at a single-family rowhouse at 1602 South 13th Street in East Passyunk, South Philadelphia. The building rises on the west side of the block between Tasker and Morris streets, one house away from the intersection of 13th and Tasker streets. The development involves a near-complete overhaul of an existing rowhouse, which will increase the size of the structure from 2,685 to 2,870 square feet. Permits list Dennis Du and Khoa D. Du as owners, Toner Architects as the designer, and James DeSimone of DeSimone Contracting as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $200,000.
1602 South 13th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. October 2022
1602 South 13th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. October 2022
Prior to renovation, the rowhouse was clad in a drab and poorly-weathered exterior of Formstone, a generally subpar imitation of stone facades, which was very likely applied over an original brick facade sometime during the postwar period. The building featured asymmetric, non-historic windows that lacked trim. Similarly glaring was the absence of a cornice at the parapet.
While the renovated building also features a rather plain design, its red brick exterior and stone lintels above classic sash windows are more in keeping with the nearby architecture and the South Philadelphia rowhouse vernacular in general. While the building still lacks a cornice, an understated course of articulated brickwork along the parapet somewhat makes up for this omission. The base is clad in attractive imitation masonry, although it oddly extends to the bottom of the first-floor window; the building would have had a much more traditional and proportional appearance if the base veneer stopped at the ground floor.
Notably, the cornice line on the building matches the approximately 30-foot height of its neighbors. This is an improvement over the plans originally submitted to the city, which showed a parapet rising several feet above the established roofline. If the rest of the original design remains accurate, then the interior features split levels at the second and third floors and ceiling heights averaging around nine feet. The design also features a basement, a terrace at the rear of the second story, and a roof deck.
1602 South 13th Street. Site plan. Credit: Toner Architects via the City of Philadelphia
1602 South 13th Street. Building elevation (rear). Credit: Toner Architects via the City of Philadelphia
1602 South 13th Street. Building elevation (front). Credit: Toner Architects via the City of Philadelphia
1602 South 13th Street. Building section. Credit: Toner Architects via the City of Philadelphia
1602 South 13th Street. Floor plans. Credit: Toner Architects via the City of Philadelphia
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Looks like it’s missing the top of its head.