A Fishtown story: Former church that sold for $400,000 in 2004 will be listed for sale at $3.5M

Fishtown was already evolving fast when photographer Dominic Episcopo moved into a majestic stone church building on East Susquehanna Avenue in 2004.

“Dumpsters were in front of nine houses being renovated up and down the street,” said Episcopo, the husband of Dawn Episcopo, a hair and makeup artist.

The couple live, work, and are raising their son, Enzo, 14, in the mid-19th-century Siloam Methodist Church, which was vacated in the 1980s.

The property at 1345 E. Susquehanna Ave. was officially listed for sale at $3.5 million on Aug. 17, said Dominic Fuscia, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty. The listing was first reported by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

With 17,000 square feet of space on four levels, the building stands on nearly a quarter-acre of land — one of the largest residential lots in Fishtown. There also are two rental apartments in the building.

“It’s a piece of history,” Fuscia said. “It’s not a typical building you come in and renovate.”

Nor is Fishtown the typical working-class Philadelphia rowhouse neighborhood it was for much of the 20th century.

“In 2006 when I moved in it was obvious Fishtown was growing, and for people who had a vision, it was exciting,” said Dawn Episcopo.

“But some people didn’t know what Fishtown was or where it was. It just wasn’t on the map,” she said. “Now everybody wants to be here. It’s like an artists’ colony, but not in a snobby way.”

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A few steps from the Episcopos’ front door, a 50-room, $299-a-night boutique hotel called Anna & Bel opened in the former Penn Asylum for Indigent Widows & Single Women building on Aug. 7.

» READ MORE: New Fishtown hotel is set to open soon with an outdoor pool

“I’m optimistic the church won’t be redeveloped with multiple residential units,” Fuscia said, adding that a catering hall or event space could be among potential uses.

After Dominic Episcopo bought the church for $400,000, he began to reconfigure living and working areas, with an eye toward respecting the architecture and honoring the building.

He repurposed doors, marble, and other materials salvaged from churches undergoing demolition in other parts of the city, among them St. Boniface in Norris Square. He also had a new roof and rooftop solar panels installed.

The building was a creative space in every sense, he said — a place to be curated as a piece of architecture and a showcase for photographs that display his and Dawn’s talents.

The Episcopos said their decision to sell had less to do with the Fishtown market than their needs as a family and their evolution as artists.

“I used to do so many of my shoots in here, but now I’m always going on location,” said Dominic. Earlier in his career, he photographed rock bands — portraits of the four members of Sonic Youth command one wall — but these days he is focusing more on food and lifestyle. He’s also a collector of meat cleavers and other utilitarian objects.

“This place is as special as it seems,” he said. “It’s become a part of me.”

Said Dawn Episcopo: “I feel really good about what’s ahead. Living here has been an incredible experience, and Fishtown has been a really great experience.

“We might even end up staying in Fishtown.”