Pulse: 60-Second Critic: The Ayer

The Ayer: love child of Hahnemann and a W Hotel.

The Ayer Condominiums, 210 West Washington Square, theayer.com.

The latest entry in Philly’s condo boom, the Ayer, originally the home of the country’s first advertising agency, keeps true to the slogan of “History made modern.” Architect Wesley Wei impressively juxtaposes antiquity and modernism, filling the beautifully restored Art Deco building with 56 chic condos. Predictably, this ain’t low-income housing (units run from $850,000 up to $5 million), and the “on the square” Society Hill location is drawing in the city’s body fabulous, including an unnamed Philadelphia Phillie. One drawback: the blindingly white walls and hyper-polished look call to mind a sleek hospital ward, the love child of Hahnemann and a W Hotel. B+