A couple of weeks ago, we told you about a new house going up at 1732 Kater St., on an oddly shaped lot. The foundation of the new house is set back, and almost comes to a point as it approaches the street. We found another lot in the neighborhood with a similar shape, but its depth allows for a sneakier approach to home construction. Kind readers, we present you with 2123 Fitzwater St.

It's the triangle

You could easily walk past this house a hundred times and not realize it exists. It’s only visible through an alleyway in between two homes.

From the east

Getting closer

The little alleyway

Whoa

Yes, that is indeed a front yard

The home was rehabbed within the past few years, and sold for $315K back in 2009. Along with having some of the best outdoor space of any home in the neighborhood, it also has decent interior space, with three bedrooms and two full bathrooms.

What we’re a little unclear on is why this lot exists. A map we pulled from Phillyhistory.org seems to show that the diagonal lot line originally extended north all the way to Kater St., but it’s unfortunately too low-res to read any of the text.

Anyone have any insight into this strangely shaped lot? The original diagonal lot line? Anyone have a higher resolution image of the map below?

A low-res explanation