Vertical Extension Complete at 1830 Dickinson Street in Point Breeze, South Philadelphia

In August 2020, YIMBY reported that permits have been filed for a single-story vertical extension to a single-family prewar rowhouse at 1830 Dickinson Street in Point Breeze, South Philadelphia. Our recent check-in at the site has revealed that construction has since been completed, and the five-bedroom, four-bathroom property has been sold for $550,000 in November of last year. Permits show Travertine Development LL [sic] as the owner and Marlon F. Travis as the contractor. Construction costs are listed at $60,000.

1830 Dickinson Street via Zillow

1830 Dickinson Street via Zillow

1830 Dickinson Street via Zillow

1830 Dickinson Street via Zillow

1830 Dickinson Street via Zillow

The original rowhouse, with a classic Philadelphia facade of red brick and white window sills and lintels, spanned a total of 2,178 square feet. The extension added 611 square feet of interior space, making for a total of 2,789 square feet. The only alteration to the front facade is the reconstruction of the front stoop from one that met the street at a 90-degree angle to one that runs parallel to the sidewalk. Although the alteration detracts from the building’s historic appearance, it significantly boosts the comfort and safety of the front entrance via a larger landing, and is contextual as it matches a similar stoop at the adjacent building.

The vertical addition is clad in prosaic horizontal siding that clashes with the aesthetics of the brick-clad facade. Thankfully, it is set back from the street by eight feet, mitigating its appearance from the sidewalk level. More importantly, regardless of aesthetics, the extension is still a much more favorable development option for the site than a full demolition and new construction of a building slightly larger than the prewar original. The latter happens far too often throughout historic central portions of the city, sometimes, outrageously, to fine-looking and apparently well-preserved structures.

1830 Dickinson Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022

1830 Dickinson Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022

1830 Dickinson Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022

One possibility for such seemingly senseless destruction is that some property owners seek to take advantage of ten-year tax abatement for new construction, via a program that partially expired at the end of last year. However, not only do vertical extensions allow the city to preserve its celebrated yet ever-diminishing stock of prewar rowhouses, but they are also often a cheaper development option than full demolition and ground-up construction. Case in point is the development at 1830 Dickinson Street, which apparently cost $60,000 to construct and sold for a whopping $550,000.

To preserve Philadelphia’s rarefied rowhouse heritage, the city must strengthen incentives for preservation-minded alterations to existing prewar structures. Such incentives would allow the city to preserve its prewar housing stock while allowing for property improvement, density increases, and more effective use of urban space (e.g. roof decks, such as the one introduced at 1830 Dickinson Street, are almost non-existent in original rowhouses yet are becoming a common feature in new development that creates much-needed outdoor space in densely-built communities).

The development is located on the south side of the block between Dorrance and South 19th streets. The property sits within a ten-minute walk to the Tasker-Morris Station on the Broad Street Line to the southeast and a 15-minut4e walk to the Ellsworth-Federal Station to the northeast. Several green spaces are also located within a ten- to 15-minute walk, such as Ralph Brooks Park, Columbus Square Dog Park, Chew Playground, and Wharton Square Playground.

Although the neighborhood is already densely built out, opportunities for new development persist at the handful of vacant lots sprinkled throughout the neighborhood, as well as, as the project at 1830 Dickinson Street illustrates, for vertical extensions to existing structures.

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