Somehow, it's been a really long time since we've checked in on 410 S. Front St., the long-vacant former Stamper Square/New Market site in Society Hill. Two years back, Toll Brothers had just presented a concrete plan to the community for a four-story condo building with underground parking. As the time has passed, some project details like the number of units and number of parking spots have changed some, but the overall project remains pretty much the same. Passing by maybe a week ago, we spied what we're pretty sure are elevator towers under construction and a ton of work happening below grade.
When it's done, the project, which has been dubbed 410 at Society Hill, will have 55 condo units and 110 parking spaces. The units range from 1-bedroom all the way to a massive 5-bedroom unit that looks like it required the combination of three or four apartments. Prices, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal, are between $500K and $3.5M for the aforementioned massive apartment. Sales are going very well, with nearly half of the units already sold. Considering the current state of the property, that is unbelievable to us.
Check out some of the most recent renderings, so you can see where this thing is going.
Architecturally, this project clearly doesn't blend seamlessly into the fabric of historic Society Hill. Whether this is a big deal or not is up for discussion, though whether people like it or not it's already approved and under construction. Still it's our opinion that Toll Brothers did a much better job design-wise here than they did at 2400 South or Naval Square. But in any of the three projects, design doesn't seem like it impacted sales one iota. Does that speak to the desirable locations of these developments? Or does it simply mean that architecture doesn't matter so much to many potential buyers?