On the Market: Repurposed Carriage House in Rittenhouse Square
From Philadelphia Magazine, 1/6/2021
At some time in the past, this building housed a firm that sold industrial floors. A masterful conversion restored the sign in its front window, kept its main-floor tile, and turned everything else into a contemporary stunner with a touch of industrial flair.
Converting carriage houses into residences is something of a cottage industry in this city, and with good reason: the old stables make great modern residences. Their open main floors are ideally suited to modern house design, and their extra-spacious upper floors offer plenty of room for private quarters.
And each converted carriage house is a true original that reflects the personality of the renovator. So it is with this Rittenhouse Square converted carriage house for sale.
Built in 1800, this old stable was home to not only horses but also a firm that sold industrial flooring. The wide-plank hardwood floors found in this house are not products of that earlier occupant, but the tile wainscoting on the main floor is one of the original design elements preserved in the conversion.
That wainscoting lends an old-timey feel to what is otherwise a modern stunner of a residence. The main floor’s high steel-beamed ceilings impart a touch of industrial flair to what is otherwise a smooth and very cool modern space.