4441 SPRUCE ST Philadelphia, PA 19104

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)