Vision of NoLibs That’s More Buñuel Than Blatstein

These renderings are surreal and evocative -- especially for a group of townhomes.

Perhaps it’s fitting that renderings of this new construction on Third Street should appear on real estate websites around the time of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s death, when so many are talking about magical realism. These remind me of fantasist animator Hayao Miyazaki too, particularly the night view, which is in a dark rain. You don’t see that too often — usually an exterior night view in a rendering has a building shimmering like a golden palace atop a hill of diamonds. Sparkly and pretty.

One image of the homes recalls the Mario Brothers circa Atari, with bright green levels that make me want to break out the eighth-grade joystick.

So where do these 3,800-square-foot, three-story townhomes exist, exactly? In a misty universe where each has central air, two-car garage, basement media room, wide plank flooring, a shower that “could also be a 4th bedroom,” and a roof deck with “a stylish pilot.”

• Listing: 609 North Third Street, Philadelphia