Though we think people give it a little too much credit, the classic Philly row home has proven to be a timeless architectural choice in our fair town. Throw up some bricks, some stone lintels, and a cornice, and you probably won’t win any design awards but nobody will complain either. It’s with bay windows, sometimes innocuous and often beautiful in hundred-year-old homes, that modern architects seem to have a little more trouble. We’ve studied this phenomenon in both Graduate Hospital and Northern Liberties, heaping praise where it’s due and dishing out criticism perhaps a little more frequently.

Just when we thought we’d seen it all, we came upon 2315 Coral St. in East Kensington. What a wonderful feeling to be reminded that there’s always something new and different out there!

Omg

This property is currently listed on the market for just under $315K. The home has about 1,800 sqft of living space, spread over 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. Hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances etc are also mentioned in the listing for this home, which replaces a long vacant lot.

The logic behind most bay windows is to snatch a little extra interior square-footage for second and third floor bedrooms. Looking at the home above, the bay does not appear to do that, as the windows are set back inside the curved stucco cylinder. This likely means that the bay is simply an aesthetic choice, designed to make the home stick out from the competition in the neighborhood.

Certainly sticks out from the property on the corner.

Do people like this choice? We’re into the unique shape, but we think we’d be like this bay more if the builders went with a material other than stucco. What do you think? Good call? Bad call? Cool indifference?