A reader reached out to us the other day, pointing us to the listing for 1319 W. Porter St., a single family home in South Philly. Ordinarily, we don’t bring random listings to your attention- but this one is truly unique, which might explain why it went under contract after a mere four days on the market. Still, the fact that it was listed at all provides us with a peek within, even if we probably will never be able to actually set foot inside the home.

This house was likely constructed at some point in the early part of the 20th century and we imagine the original facade probably looked like the neighboring homes, with curved and stylized lintels above the door and windows. Like the home next door, the home at 1319 W. Porter St. got a new facade at some point, but this facade was surely part of a larger renovation which relocated the front door to the middle of the home and replaced the traditional double hung windows with skinny casement windows. This renovation, which we suspect occurred in the 1970s, resulted in a very unusual interior which remains very much intact. But this is no classic grandma South Philly home- unless your grandpa happens to be Frank Lloyd Wright.

There’s so much going on here, it’s tough to pick a place to start. In general, we’re no fans of wood paneling- but this home somehow makes it work. The stovepipe fireplace is obviously awesome. The kitchen doesn’t have the stainless appliances and granite countertops everyone is looking for these days, but the countertop does match the floor tile as well as the backsplash and the accent tile above the cabinets and yet it somehow all comes together. The same approach is taken in the 2nd floor bathroom, incidentally. Also, you’ve gotta love the built-ins, the shaggy carpets, and the ceiling details.

In theory, someone is going to buy this home and probably make changes to it- maybe update the kitchen or the bathroom or both, and make it look and feel more like a traditional 2020 home. We’d argue that it’s perfect exactly the way it is, a throwback home, the likes of which we won’t see again. Thinking about it, the fact that it went under contract after just four days on the market is probably an indication that the person buying it probably appreciates it exactly for what it is, and maybe they won’t change a thing. Or else they just want to live near the terrific Scannicchio’s, which would be a reasonable explanation as well.