In the Fairmount/Art Museum Area the 2500 block of Swain Street is unique and said to be the nicest block in the neighborhood. Once it was one of a very few "Garden Blocks" in Philadelphia of which only two survive today. The Garden area paved-over and re-named from Park Terrace to Swain Street, it's dimensions are wide with parking only on one side. This 101-year-old classic row home has been updated and well maintained, yet is still full of character.
Enter through the marble-floored vestibule and into the combined Living Room/Dinning Room with its 14 foot ceilings, original staircase, stained-glass window and a mirrored wall that holds the original mantle. Next is the huge eat-in Kitchen with ample storage, counter space, stainless appliances and custom lighting design. Behind the Kitchen sits the Laundry Room and a Half-Bath with south-facing picture window that brings sunlight into the entire Kitchen areas. Out the rear door is a bi-level deck and steps down to a backyard garden that's very large for the neighborhood and big enough for plenty of outdoor furniture. The deck features a natural gas connection for tank-free grilling.
Upstairs, with all new wood flooring, the Rear Bedroom enjoys southern sunlight through five windows, including a three-window bay. There's the original mantel and original arched door with leaded glass. The Bathroom features a jetted tub, over-sized closet and hot-house window.. The Middle Bedroom, the smallest, still features a South-facing window , large Closet with a cedar-lined storage area above. And down past the hall closet you enter the Front Bedroom with large operating skylight and room for any-sized bed set. The Basement is partially finished with a Cedar Closet, storage area and Mechanical area. Interior row house position makes home heating affordable.
Walk to lots of bars, coffee houses, restaurants, shopping and the cultural attractions in the Art Museum Area. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, The Barnes, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, and Boat House Row are all walkable or bikeable in under 15 minutes. Multiple Septa lines run through the neighborhood or stroll down the Ben Franklin Parkway to Center City. Schuylkill Banks Park, Kelly Drive and all of Fairmount Park are a jog away. It's an easy commute by bus, bike or on foot to Center City hospitals, office towers and University City, Temple University and the Avenue of the Arts. Retail and restaurants along Girard Avenue are close by. Walk East along Fairmount Avenue you'll pass CVS lots of dinning and shopping with the Historical Eastern State Penitentiary, now Museum. Whole Foods, Klein's, Giant and two Aldi supermarkets flank the neighborhood. But many, small pharmacies and family businesses still serve area.