Construction Still Pending at 1238 North Howard Street in Fishtown

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has observed that construction work is yet to start at a single-family rowhouse development at 1238 North Howard Street, near the meeting point of Fishtown and Olde Kensington. Designed by Interface Studio Architects and developed by Callahan Ward (which also serves as the contractor), the building will rise three stories plus basement, span 1,539 square feet, and feature a back yard and a roof deck.

1238 North Howard Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023

The development, situated on the west side of the block between West Girard Avenue and West Thompson Street, will rise from a narrow lot measuring 61 feet deep and 12 feet wide. The building will measure 47 feet long and 11 feet wide, with a 14-foot-deep rear yard. Permits list a total construction cost of $340,000, with $300,500 allocated for general work, $13,500 apiece for mechanical and plumbing work, and $12,500 for electrical work.

1238 North Howard Street. Site plan. Credit: Interface Studio Architects LLC via the City of Philadelphia

1238 North Howard Street. Demolition and construction site plan. Credit: Interface Studio Architects LLC via the City of Philadelphia

1238 North Howard Street. Zoning table. Credit: Interface Studio Architects LLC via the City of Philadelphia

1238 North Howard Street. Site plan. Credit: Interface Studio Architects LLC via the City of Philadelphia

The structure will rise 48 feet tall, including the parapet. Curiously, the design does not feature a pilot house projecting above the roof line, with the roof deck access instead recessed into the third floor. This design decision may have been made in order to avoid disturbing the roof lines of the gabled roofs at the adjacent prewar rowhouses. The design pays further homage to its context via its own street-facing slant at the top levels.

The building’s rather compact dimensions mean that the staircase will take up a notable portion of the interior space. Still, the building section is rather interesting, with a split-level first floor, a partial double-height second story, and a third floor with a partially slanted roof featuring a skylight. The 36-and-a-half-foot height to the main roof allows for generous ceiling heights, particularly at the rear of the first floor and at the front of the second floor.

The structure will rise 48 feet tall, including the parapet. Curiously, the design does not feature a pilot house projecting above the roof line, with the roof deck access instead recessed into the third floor. This design decision may have been made in order to avoid disturbing the roof lines of the gabled roofs at the adjacent prewar rowhouses. The design pays further homage to its context via its own street-facing slant at the top levels.

1238 North Howard Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023

1238 North Howard Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023

The lack of progress is rather disappointing, as permits had been filed in late 2020 and issued in January of the following year. We last checked in at the site in December, since which time the property has remained virtually unchanged. While the avant-garde style clearly clashes with its prewar context, the building’s dimension and program respect the established vernacular, and the look is not out of place in Fishtown, a neighborhood where an increasing number of contemporary buildings harmoniously share the streetscape with prewar neighbors. Importantly, the building will fill a glaring gap within the established rowhouse streetwall.

1238 North Howard Street is situated within two short blocks of the Girard Avenue Station on the Market-Frankford Line, the route 15 trolley on Girard Avenue, which offer direct commute to Center City, University City, West Philadelphia, and beyond. The site sits within steps of the myriad artistic, dining, and entertainment destinations throughout Fishtown, Olde Kensington, Northern Liberties, and greater Kensington. In addition, Temple University is located within reasonable proximity to the northwest, accessible via a roughly half-hour walk of a much shorter bike or car ride.

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