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Rowhouses typically get plenty of natural light in the front rooms. The rear rooms also can get natural light, often from two windows, since in older buildings there is often a rear extension (termed an ell) which is only attached on one side. That said, this is often where the plumbing stack is located, meaning the kitchen and bathrooms are located here, meaning there may be practical reasons not to have tons of windows. The only rooms which tend to be dim are the middle rooms, where you typically only have a single window.
They wouldn't get as much natural light or air as a triple-decker. Corner rooms can't exist in a rowhouse.
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I also don't think it's fair to say that brick rowhouses tend towards being drab.
As to the original question there's no doubt about which form wins-- three deckers aren't all that popular even in Boston. They were a kind of compromise for buyers who liked the single-family house with its own garden but needed income units to afford a house.
They do fit better as rental units, than owned ones. Younger people looking to rent often like them.
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Once zoning came in Boston and most other municipalities made them non-conforming so new ones couldn't be built.
I find that obnoxious, the city deciding a housing type is unacceptable just because whoever's in control of the zoning board it finds it distasteful. Doubly so, since it's a traditional housing type of the neighborhood.
I've been to Philly two times before, but I guess really haven't seen enough of the city yet. Looking at some of the rowhouse pictures really has me jealous.
Also, I'm sure many would be surprised that this block is in the middle of North Philly. Possibly Frank Furness?
Yeah, people not from Philly don't realize that while North Philadelphia is mostly a horrible ghetto now, it was (at least in the neighborhoods closer to Center City) originally one of the wealthier portions of Philadelphia. The same is true for major portions of West Philly, although those have at least partially gentrified now.
Great pics! Rooftop decks are also a pretty big thing nowadays. I know most of the blocks, but where is this one, just curious:
Also, I'm sure many would be surprised that this block is in the middle of North Philly. Possibly Frank Furness?
Very close, Willis G. Hale. Fun fact? Hale designed both of these buildings. It is funny you picked out the old mansions and the Morris Fleisher House at 2200 something green st. Hale had hundreds of buildings but only a dozen or so remain. He is on somewhat of a come back. The "Hale" building in center city is being restored: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...9_Building.jpg
^Dubbed as one of the most bizarre skyscrapers of the 19th century. The new construction is moderizing parts of it
Hale's legacy is definitely overshadowed by Furness. Hale focused more on decoration than on innovation. So while Furness influenced people like Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, Hale's overly Victorian style went out of style and people actually sought to make the buildings more conservative by removing orientation. My favorite was the Widener Mansion at Broad and Girard. It is now... a KFC.. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...%26_Girard.jpg
Such a unique style: http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/uphp/...&%20Market.jpg
^The Gallery is there now. The city must have been a site to be seen in it's prime: http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_4a11764a.jpg
Yeah, people not from Philly don't realize that while North Philadelphia is mostly a horrible ghetto now, it was (at least in the neighborhoods closer to Center City) originally one of the wealthier portions of Philadelphia. The same is true for major portions of West Philly, although those have at least partially gentrified now.
I'd agree more if you aren't including Northwest and Northeast Philly in this statement. Many times people say North Philly, but that's too big and diverse of an area to sum up with any one statement IMO. Not sure what you meant.
But yes, Strawberry Mansion and many other areas were filled with the rich from textiles and other industries that were considered less sophisticated, unlike the rich in Rittenhouse. It really is a shame, because so much of those areas have solid architecture:
I'd agree more if you aren't including Northwest and Northeast Philly in this statement. Many times people say North Philly, but that's too big and diverse of an area to sum up with any one statement IMO. Not sure what you meant.
Why would I include Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia in North Philadelphia? Those are different parts of the city entirely.
For me, there's no question. The Philadelphia Row House is far more appealing. I love Boston, but I would gladly trade our three-deckers for row houses city-wide. We have wonderful rowhouses in Back Bay, Beacon Hill and the South End. We have great brownstones and brick tenements in Fenway and the North End. But I wish more of our outer neighborhoods were brick/stone rowhouses.
Why would I include Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia in North Philadelphia? Those are different parts of the city entirely.
Because some people lump them together. I was not sure what you were referring to specifically.
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