Top-floor living room: a coffered ceiling, arched windows on two sides and a fireplace

Pine Street Mixed-Use

Washington Square West, Philadelphia · Completed

A Washington Square West building repaired and remade as six apartments over a ground-floor shop.

Location: Washington Square West, Philadelphia
Status: Completed
Project: Multifamily, Mixed-use, Renovation
Our role: Architect — layout options, make-safe and permit drawings

The living room toward the arched windows and French doors — The top-floor living room toward its arched windows and French doors.

The challenge

The building had an open L&I violation: the foundation, the first-floor framing and the rear wall all needed work before it could be renovated.

What we did

The structure came first. Our make-safe drawings covered underpinning, new first-floor framing and a rebuilt rear wall with a fire escape. With the building sound, we tested layouts floor by floor and arranged six apartments over the ground-floor commercial space, which gained an accessible restroom and a new stair. On the top floor, the living room spans the width of the building under a coffered ceiling and opens onto a terrace.

A unit kitchen opening into the arched-window living room — A kitchen opening into the living room.

A smaller unit: the kitchen along one wall, a round table by the window — A smaller apartment: the kitchen along one wall.

The living room looking back to the kitchen island

A dining corner with a round table under three windows, the kitchen along the wall

A private roof terrace, the Center City towers beyond — The roof terrace, with the Center City towers beyond.

Project facts

Apartments: Six, over a ground-floor commercial space
Make-safe: Underpinning, new first-floor framing and a rebuilt rear wall, 2020
Separation: Two-hour fire separation between the commercial space and the homes
Built: 2022

Services behind this project

Related work

The brick front of the three-story house over a basement, with an arched doorway, kept as it was

Pine Street Conversion

Center City, Philadelphia · Completed

The corner building: a light masonry base under gray and warm wood-toned panels

Temple Apartments

North Philadelphia · Completed

Rear kitchen opening to the yard through French doors

Gordon Street Rowhouse

River Wards, Philadelphia · Completed

Next step

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