Selling an unusual townhouse in a Philly neighborhood of many names

Barely a week after listing for $980,000, one of five townhouses carved out of a former rectory on East Firth Street in Philadelphia is under contract.

The unit is the only one of the five to come on the market since the granite structure, known as the Parish House, was rehabbed in 2017. At that time, all five townhouses sold within 30 days.

“It’s an extremely rare piece of real estate,” said Brian Wolk, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway. The Parish House project was designed by Toner Architects of Philadelphia.

The townhouse at 2132 E. Firth sold for $670,000 originally and for $879,000 two years ago, Wolk said.

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The pending sale “will set a record for a three-bedroom, 2½-bath townhouse in the neighborhood in the last six months,” Wolk said. “It’s not your typical Philadelphia townhouse, and we weren’t looking for just anyone looking for an average three-bedroom.”

The townhouse has been described as being in Fishtown or Olde Kensington. Some media coverage of the Parish House’s 2017 rollout, which featured a Roaring ‘20s theme, identified the location as East Kensington.

“I bought it 18 months ago as Fishtown,” said the seller, Petra Azar, said. “The zip code is Fishtown. So I can legitimately say it’s Fishtown.”

Azar, a sculptor who also has designed jewelry, said: “I will never find another house like this.”

Built in 1912 as a rectory for Episcopal priests serving at the Church of the Good Shepherd, which was demolished in 2016, the Parish House had been vacant for many years when it was renovated by Red Oak Builders.

It has about 2700 square feet of space on four levels and features repurposed and refurbished materials from the original structure, including hardwood floors, ironwork, and masonry.

The home is 20 feet wide. Ceilings are as high as 14 feet, and natural light is abundant. The undivided, yet distinct — and distinctive — spaces within it are dramatic, but inviting.

Think urban loft with rustic touches. Or a postindustrial sleekness that’s also cozy.

“I want to have architecture around me, and this house has it,” Azar said. “That’s why I bought it.”

The primary bedroom includes a private terrace with a view of renovated and newly constructed residential buildings, construction typical of this part of the city. There’s also a bathroom with an elegant tub.

Even the stair landings “aren’t claustrophobic,” said Azar, who lived in New Hope for 25 years — including on a horse farm and in a house designed by the esteemed architect George Nakashima — before she bought 2132 E. Firth.

Azar is moving to Old City but will miss living in Fishtown.

“The neighbors up and down the street and around the corner all are lovely,” she said. “There are lots of young families and lots of kids.”

But in Old City, Azar said, she will be able to walk ZUZU, her Bichon-poodle mix, to nearby Washington Square Park.

This story has been updated.