Just Listed: Contemporary Townhouse in Manayunk

Little boxes on the hillside made of ticky-tacky? Not on your life. This end unit is a well-made, extra-large box at 4329 Boone St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 | Bright MLS images by Creative Outfit via Keller Williams Realty

One of the more commonly lamented design elements found on new Philadelphia rowhouses is the metal-clad bay-window box. Popular with builders because they give houses a few more square feet of space, they tend to be decried by critics for their cheap-looking blandness and feared by residents of gentrifying neighborhoods as a sign of an invading force. One City Council member found them so objectionable he tried to pass legislation outlawing them.

Well, as some architectural critics say, context is everything. Take that same metal box bay, remove it from its typical South Philly sidewalk overhang, and put it on a trio of stone-faced rowhouses instead, and that bland add-on looks downright attractive.

Especially in this case, where the red color the builder chose for it makes it pop against the houses’ stone facades.

And this isn’t the only thing that makes this contemporary Manayunk house for sale distinctive.

It’s also wider than the standard Philly rowhouse, giving its main floor more room and its upper floors more rooms.

Living room

The main floor, one level above the street, is an open-plan space with the staircase separating the living room from the dining room and kitchen.

That boxy bay window floods the living room with natural light year-round thanks to this house’s southern exposure.

Dining room and kitchen

The kitchen and dining area get morning sunlight and are connected to a rear deck with a separate entrance from the street, which makes outdoor entertaining in good weather a snap.

Kitchen

This arrangement also makes large dinner parties a snap, as the dining room has plenty of room for a large table and the island in its very roomy kitchen seats six.

You may note by now that even though this house is contemporary at heart, on the inside, it’s a bit of an architectural mixtape, what with decorative elements like Art Nouveau light fixtures here and traditional wood-and-wrought-iron staircase banisters there.

Master bedroom

This extra-wide house’s master bedroom is also an architecturally striking space thanks to the gable atop that metal box bay. The gable is expressed on the inside in the master bedroom’s cross-vaulted ceiling.

Master bathroom

And that width makes for a generous amount of space here too. Besides the bedroom, the master suite has a large walk-in closet and a luxurious master bath whose shower stall features both regular and rain shower heads.

In-law suite living room

The house also has a third floor set back from the front parapet. Because the second floor contains three bedrooms, the third has been configured as an in-law or au pair suite with its own living room and a large bedroom with a custom organized closet.

Roof deck

A roof deck overlooking Manayunk and the Schuylkill fits into the space between this suite and that front parapet.

Finally, that width means enough space in the basement to insert both a mudroom and a rec room around the extra-wide one-car garage. (The mudroom is on this level because this house sits on a sloping lot. Because of this, the basement and garage are at the ground level in front.)

Basement rec room

Built-in bookshelves in the basement rec room add another feature not often found in city rowhouses anymore.

This contemporary Manayunk townhouse for sale was the builder’s model unit for its development. Six years later, it still looks like new.

And it will elevate your living standard in more than one way as well: It’s located in Manayunk’s upper reaches, well above the hustle and bustle of Main Street. The dead-end street it sits on means things should be even quieter still. Yet it offers easy access (with built-in exercise on the way back) to both Main Street and the beloved Pretzel Park.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 4

BATHS: 3 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 2,729

SALE PRICE: $679,900

OTHER STUFF: Other luxe extras in this house include a Lutron lighting system and wiring for surround sound.

4329 Boone St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 [Jill Barbera | The Jill Barbera Group | Keller Williams Real Estate – Blue Bell]