Architect: BluPath Design
Neighborhood: Rittenhouse Square
Project Type: Historical Restoration + Passive House Conversion
Square Footage: 6,500
Photography: Sam Oberter

Rittenhouse Restoration is an Architect/Owner-occupied c.1845 four-unit, four-story apartment building in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse-Fitler Historic District. The entire block has the original facades with mature trees. A café table and chairs, used regularly by the Owners, share the sidewalk with an expanded tree pit and lush container garden. This deep-energy retrofit uses the Passive House EnerPHit Standard (a rigorous science-based energy standard). In addition to meager energy bills, the ventilation system provides continuous HEPA-filtered fresh air- a protection against wildfire smoke, pollens, and other pollutants. This fossil fuel-free, all-electric building has super-insulated and air-sealed walls, roofs, and floors that keep out noise pollution and vermin (they feel no warmth and no smells escape), providing exceptional draft-free comfort. 

Each of the four handsome luxury apartments expresses a unique character. The fourth-floor bi-level 2-bed, 1-bath unit has a skylight illuminating the internal stair and double-height cherry cabinets and opens directly onto a private roof deck. The other units share access to a common sun-shaded roof deck/garden from the fire escape. The third floor, 2-bed, 2-bath unit is transitional with some original molding intact. The high-ceilinged second-floor, 2-bed, 2-bath unit's floors are original (as with the rest of the apartments) and have traditional millwork and hearth. The bathrooms and kitchen are beautifully tiled with stone countertops. White-stained white oak floors are augmented with exciting accent walls to alleviate the urban canyon's limited daylight. BluPath Design, the Owner's architecture firm, occupies the ground floor front office and is adorned with traditional molding on triple-pane simulated double-hung windows.

Learn more from the homeowners.