On the Market: Renovated Expanded Trinity in Pennsport
Two gods of small spaces got their hands on this historic trinity in 2014 and turned it into a small wonder with a surprisingly roomy feel.
Were this expanded trinity at 113 Titan St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 a fashion model, we might use the word “svelte” to describe it, as it has a slim 10-foot profile in front. On the inside, though, it boasts all the style of a fashion model and manages to make the most of its extra-long space. / This image: Google Street View; all other photos by Brit Reed via Bright MLS and Coldwell Banker Realty
I refer to the trinity using two phrases: “the original tiny house” and “the workforce housing of its day.”
This Pennsport renovated expanded trinity house for sale is a great example of the latter and a surprisingly roomy example of the former — even more surprising when you consider that it’s only 10 feet wide.
Several things contribute to its unusually spacious feel. One of them: The windows it has on three sides. Even though this is actually a mid-block trinity, it functions like a corner house because it sits next to a communal parking lot upon which nothing will ever be built. Thus two of the upper-floor bedrooms have windows on two sides. And if you want to add more natural light to the main floor, you could have a hole cut in the living room’s side wall and install another window there.
Main floor, view from kitchen
But you may not feel the need to do that, given the main floor’s open plan. The floor’s current layout, including the straight-line stairway to the second floor, comes from the couple who renovated this early-19th-century trinity in 2014.
Living room
“These were people who knew how to live vertically,” says listing agent Laura Seaman of Coldwell Banker Realty.
Living room
Their renovation made the long, narrow first floor look even bigger than it is. It also made it function better in several ways.
That straight-line staircase, for instance, means you will be able to get your beds to the upper-floor bedrooms without torturing yourselves.
Kitchen and dining area
The couple also installed extra storage and counter space in the kitchen. The cabinet you see on the left in the photo above serves those functions. It can also function as a buffet for serving dinner or brunch to your guests.
Kitchen showing overhead cabinets
The kitchen cabinets also open in a unique fashion. Note the lack of handles on them. Instead of pulling them open, they swing upward or outward with a gentle touch. This also gives the cabinets an ultra-modern look that complements the stylish stainless-steel appliances.
Though Seaman says it’s not, that range in the kitchen looks quite high-end to me. It certainly looks more substantial than most ranges you see in houses priced this modestly.
Backyard
Rear deck
In back of the kitchen you will find a shaded backyard with a deck. The couple found trees that proved perfect for giving this space shade in the summer.
Second-floor bedroom
On the second floor you will find the largest of this house’s three bedrooms in front and a full bath in the back.
Second-floor bathroom
Again, the makeover created a sleek, stylish bathroom with open shelves for storing your toiletries, linens and suchlike.
Third-floor bedroom
Because this Pennsport renovated expanded trinity house for sale has a roof that peaks in the center, the third floor contains two bedrooms that each have loft space over their doors. You can use the lofts for storage, or even for sleeping.
Third-floor bedroom
The two upper bedrooms also show off the renovators’ sense of style. The front bedroom has an exposed brick accent wall in the loft space and the back one has this whimsical paint job and more open shelves. A second full bathroom lies in between these two rooms.
This reimagined trinity looks nothing like the workforce housing it served as at its start. When this house was built in the early 1800s, Titan Street ended at the Delaware River, and dockworkers walked from these houses to their jobs on the waterfront. The addition of Delaware Avenue, now Columbus Boulevard, severed that direct connection.
Even so, this house continued to serve working folks well. Seaman discovered in researching its history that one Thomas W. Wallace lived in it in the 1890s and threw a wedding for his daughter Lizzy, who married Harry Davies, in the house in 1883. Twelve years later, a bartender who spoke both Polish and German moved in, touting himself as a good cocktail mixer.
Community park
Later on, I-95 walled Titan Street off from the waterfront it once served. But it did transform its block into an intimate and attractive lane with this communal park close to its Front Street end.
And today, this slim yet spacious Pennsport renovated expanded trinity house for sale remains priced within reach of those with a modest budget or looking for a first home in which to start a family. In which case, I guess you could call it the workforce housing of our time as well.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 924
SALE PRICE: $325,000
OTHER STUFF: This house’s sale price has been reduced four times, most recently by $30,000 on November 8th.
113 Titan St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 [Laura Seaman | Coldwell Banker Realty]
