First-Time Find: A Fiesta for the Eyes in East Falls

San Francisco's "painted ladies" have nothing on this colorfully restored row home with one of the biggest back yards you'll ever find behind a house of this type.

3434 Bowman St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129 | TREND Images via Max Nagel

3434 Bowman St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129 | TREND Images via Max Nagel

Philly’s best row homes pack a lot of character and a surprising amount of space onto a compact lot. This recently restored, colorful charmer in East Falls may well be the best of the best.

This vintage-1939 classic row home’s major makeover added a lot of color and personality to an already spacious city dwelling, as you’ll notice at the very first glance. New steps, a stone front patio and woodwork painted in five different colors put a very cheerful face on this end-of-row property.

You’ll find nice splashes of color on the inside as well.  The up-to-date kitchen, for instance, was redone in a burnt-orange color scheme that complements the blond wood cabinetry, and beyond the kitchen is a stunningly beautiful powder room dressed in blue with multicolored patterned tiles and a Mexican Talavera tile sink.

The upstairs bathroom has an equally nice color accent in the form of iridescent blue mosaic tile surrounding its skylight.

The home is filled with light from its many large windows, including the brand-new ones in the living room. But there’s even more light and air out back in this home’s unusually spacious rear yard, which occupies the rest of its 170-foot-deep lot. The sun lover in you will appreciate the brick patio nearest the kitchen door, while you’ll have it made in the shade beneath the huge tree that covers most of the lot’s hardscaped back half, separated from the patio by a lush vine-covered trellis gateway. There are laundry facilities and plenty of storage space in the basement as well.

This home is also very conveniently located close to the heart of East Falls. SEPTA’s East Falls Regional Rail station is a short walk away, and several popular neighborhood pubs and eateries are even closer. Just a little further away are the central intersection of East Falls at Ridge and Midvale avenues, with even more great dining options, and Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River Trail, where you can bike your way into the city or out to Manayunk and the Wissahickon Valley trails. Drexel’s medical campus is just up the hill as well.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 3

BATHS: 1 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 1,438

SALE PRICE: $279,000

OTHER STUFF: The house’s electrical system, hot water heater, and roof are likewise recently updated, and there’s also an outdoor shower and sink in the low-maintenance rear yard.

3434 Bowman St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19129 [Max Nagel | Realty Mark Cityscape]