July 8-14, 2004

cityspace

Station Housing

by Tasha Kates

While the mayor and City Council debate which fire stations to close, developers in Old City have fought to preserve one — for new living space.

Developer Don Clendenon has just completed a three-year Old City luxury condominium project called Station House, which converted a historic police station and firehouse. Located at Fourth and Race streets, the gated community is made up of nine condos in the police station and four townhouses in the firehouse, both in their original structures.

Units at the Station House will range from $385,000 to $1 million, but Karen Joslin, a realtor with Plumer & Associates, says some of the properties are worth more than $2 million. The project is the latest in a horde of Old City luxury condos and apartments, which is expected to create more than 2,000 new residential units over the next three years, says Joslin.

But for Clendenon, the original brick structures drew him to the property over its trendy location.

"I could have made a modular, seven-story building," Clendenon says. "But I wanted to maintain the historic structure of the building."

Clendenon touched up the outside of the building with new doors, fresh coats of paint and landscaping with intentions to preserve as much of the original facade work as possible.

Some subtle hints of the firehouse still remain inside the structure. In the basement of the old station, large beams support the 15-inch concrete floor of the old firehouse. Some of the original brass fixtures also remain.

Inside, the units are roomy, lavish spaces with views of neighboring tall trees. Almost all of the windows are over six feet in length, but some are as large as 12 feet and feature panoramic views of the city. Although light fixtures and other decorative utilities have been added to the rooms, residents can customize their units.

Clendenon acknowledges that noise may be an issue for potential residents. The Ben Franklin Bridge spans overhead, and PATCO trains run above ground near I-95. To insulate the building, designers used doors made of solid maple. Clendenon is now lobbying the Delaware River Port Authority to slow all PATCO trains above his building to cut down on noise.

So far, all the spaces have been filled except for one condo and one townhouse. Clendenon is moving into another townhouse that used to serve as the entry point for the fire trucks.

Dave Templeton has only been in his condo unit for a month, but said it is very convenient and well-constructed.

"It's a level of exclusivity and uniqueness that is very New York-like," Templeton says.