A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has revealed that foundation work is largely complete at an 11-townhouse development at 244-58 North 2nd Street in thee Old City section of Center City. Designed by LandMark Architectural Design, each townhouse will rise four stories and span nearly 5,000 square feet, and feature a cellar, a roof deck, an elevator, and a two-car garage. Permits list OCF Construction as the contractor.
Construction costs are specified at $550,000 per townhouse, with $512,000 allocated toward general construction, 16,000 for mechanical work, $12,500 for plumbing, and $9,500 for electrical work.
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
The development is situated in the northeastern section of Old City, a block to the north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Blueprints submitted to the planning department show an exquisite design that effectively emulates classic prewar architecture of the city’s most significant historic neighborhood.
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
244-58 North Second Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2022
It is a widely accepted fact that, in terms of aesthetics, the average prewar building easily surpasses its modern counterparts (with exceptions, of course). Many excuses have been made for this unfortunate state of affairs, a number of which are not without merit, such as expense of design and construction and a lack of a workforce skilled enough to produce such work.
However, as the project at 244-58 North 2nd Street illustrates, Philadelphia developers, architects, and builders are clearly capable of producing such work, and it is a shame that we do not see more construction of such caliber throughout the city. We wish that the city provided financial incentives, such as tax abatement, for developments that similarly eschewed prosaic exteriors in favor of historicist ones that will stand the test of time and will enhance the city for generations to come.
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I wonder why OFC never posts about their own projects on their blog? I know I’m not the only one asking this.
Can’t handle the criticism. Haven’t heard great things about OCF rentals or developments.
Yes, because they take a bunch of seaboxes, stack them & call it “townhouse living.” They build cheap crap with no architectural identity, to help define a neighborhood.