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The Phila rowhouse spans all classes, from the fanciest houses on Delancey Place to a 10' wide North Philadelphia house with a boarded up house on one side and a vacant lot on the other. The Boston triple decker was built for mostly working class and middle class people. It had a shorter time frame-- 1880s to 1920s--whereas row houses go from the 18th century well into the 20th. So the comparison is a little skewed. The Boston bowfront was built mostly in Boston proper rather than the streetcar suburbs where you find the 3 decker. Main thing though is in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Washington, and smaller cities through the mid-Atlantic, the row house was standard developer issue for a long long time. In New England the free-standing house, usually wooden, was always more popular.
The Phila rowhouse spans all classes, from the fanciest houses on Delancey Place to a 10' wide North Philadelphia house with a boarded up house on one side and a vacant lot on the other. The Boston triple decker was built for mostly working class and middle class people. It had a shorter time frame-- 1880s to 1920s--whereas row houses go from the 18th century well into the 20th. So the comparison is a little skewed. The Boston bowfront was built mostly in Boston proper rather than the streetcar suburbs where you find the 3 decker. Main thing though is in Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, Washington, and smaller cities through the mid-Atlantic, the row house was standard developer issue for a long long time. In New England the free-standing house, usually wooden, was always more popular.
True, and it is still very common for Rowhouses to get built here today.
Love those triple deckers, but they are full of swinish Mass Holes. The people of Massachusetts are a stain on this nation, and Boston is the gungy center of that stain.
The main problem with Boston triple-deckers is they are wood framed. Generally speaking, wood framed buildings don't tend to stand the test of time so well, as they require more upkeep. They're also much more apt to be "remuddled," with landlords eventually deciding to strip off all the wood trim and put aluminum siding on them. Obviously they can be restored, but still. In contrast a good brick or stone rowhouse can basically survive 50 years of neglect and still be restored (at least on the outside) to look as good as the day it was built.
An argument can be made that living in a Triple Decker is better than a rowhouse, if you don't care about having private outdoors space and really want lots of natural light and no stairs in your unit. Personally, I prefer rowhouse living however.
Love those triple deckers, but they are full of swinish Mass Holes. The people of Massachusetts are a stain on this nation, and Boston is the gungy center of that stain.
You know a lot of people say the same thing about Philly (minus the m******* name for obvious reasons). It's pretty stupid to generalize an entire city. I lived just outside Philly for a couple years and the New England area for 18. Met a bunch of awesome people from both places.
You know a lot of people say the same thing about Philly (minus the m******* name for obvious reasons). It's pretty stupid to generalize an entire city. I lived just outside Philly for a couple years and the New England area for 18. Met a bunch of awesome people from both places.
His generalization is actually generally true though, to be fair. I live in Boston now. I just don't understand the casual hostility that permeates local every day life.
His generalization is actually generally true though, to be fair. I live in Boston now. I just don't understand the casual hostility that permeates local every day life.
I spent a week there last summer actually and everyone was really cool. I dunno...I've also lived in NYC for 12 years and NJ for a couple so maybe I'm just immune to it lol
Jeez, these Philly voters really come out in the droves when it comes to voting for their own city on a CD poll...
Nah-doesn't seem to be the case with this. It seems the majority of posters prefer rowhomes, but as pointed out rowhomes span from Northeast Philly airlites to Rittenhouse Square and Fairmount near-mansions. Originally I intended this thread to only be comparing the "working class rowhome" to the triple decker.
FWIW I have fond memories of hanging out in my Aunt's Triple Decker in Dorchester. Her family was on the 2nd Floor and I liked the porch up there-and considering she owned the whole building it seems to be a great option (or used to be) for living less expensively while having some passive income or help in paying the mortgage.
The rowhome has more private outdoor space and private entrance, and no need to worry about neighbors with heavy boots or brooms, but the triple decker can have more windows and light.
Triple deckers are made of wood; no masonry is used on the triple decker. I've seen some built because the only masonry that's used is cement for the basement. Philly is 100% masonry whereever you go either from South Philly to North Philly, Chestnut Hill to the NE. The only wooden structures that I know are in Fairmount Park!!!
I wouldn't say 100% but close to it maybe (stone or brick). My Mom (from Boston) is often talking about the "lack of wooden homes" in Philly but she absolutely loves the stone homes in Northwest Philly and other parts of the city. I agree with the stone homes-these are my favorite anywhere.
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