This 3060 s.f. late Victorian townhouse in the Spruce Hill neighborhood of University City, West Philly, has SO many amazing features. The gorgeous c. 1904 house details are all intact – leaded glass, the handsome staircase, hardwood flooring with decorative borders, fireplace mantles, a tiled entryway, deep armoires, unpainted woodwork and even a clawfooted tub. There are 7 upstairs rooms which can be bedrooms, family rooms, work-at-home offices, a private main bedroom suite – you name it. There’s a deep, partially finished basement, an enclosed front porch and a good-sized back yard with alley access – great for bringing your bikes in. The current owners have spent 19 years restoring & upgrading the property – including the removal of all knob & tube wiring, a daunting & expensive project that the buyers of this house won’t have to undertake.

The 45th & Spruce location is in the catchment area* for the well-regarded Penn Alexander K-8 public grade school which is just 2 blocks away. Hungry? Don Barriga Mexican Grill is next door; several Middle Eastern eateries are around the corner at 45th & Walnut; Knockbox coffee shop is at 45th & Pine, and Local 44 Restaurant & Bar, with craft beers on tap and a bottle shop, is at the corner of 44th & Spruce. There’s a bus route out front to take you to center city. Or you can head over to Baltimore Ave. for more restaurant possibilities or a 13-minute trolley ride to the very heart of center city Philadelphia, stopping at UPenn & Drexel U along the way.

MOST UNUSUAL OF ALL, this property has zoning which permits the rental of 5 bedrooms as rooming units. The current owners have shared the house with some awesome short-term guests over the years, and the short-term leases in place right now provide $5050/month in rental income (owners have moved out). New owner-occupants can keep the whole house for themselves as leases finish up (the first lease ends on 10/31/2023) or live in the private main bedroom suite and rent up to four bedrooms (so that the total number of occupants doesn't exceed 5) to provide a hefty income to help pay their mortgage – an especially appealing option at today’s higher interest rates.
(*catchment area location doesn’t guarantee admittance)