At first glance, row houses may seem rather uniform. However, there are often small details that separate homes if you take a closer look. In an older row house neighborhood like Queen Village, Philadelphia, or the West Village, New York City, the homes are often quite a bit different than their adjacent neighbor.
These small elements of personality are some of the best things about row houses; the little signatures that owners put on their homes. Below is a collection of close-up photos of some of the nicer personal touches we’ve seen on row houses during our travels. As we discover more charming details, we’ll update the page.
Under the stucco might very well be a Greek Revival row house. What’s particularly interesting about this home, is that the white borders around the window are carried the full height of the home. The light teal door is just the right pop against an otherwise neutral palette. Altogether a very nice presentation for a row house. But, our favorite part is the iron bouquet of flowers just above the door; sophisticated, yet playful. Definitely in tune with the artistic nature of many local Philadelphia residents.
This charming row of tiles is from a Federal/Greek Revival brick row house, likely built in the mid-19th Century. In Philadelphia, this style of home is predominantly brick. The particular home features a multiple-step stoop and the first floor is a parlor floor that is a few feet above the sidewalk. It’s a very common row house aspect when your basement is actually functioning space, such as for a kitchen and dining room, to allow for the basement to have windows. The lower area on this facade has been covered in stucco and the upper area was left brick. They decided to do something a little creative in the joining area. The tiles go the full width of the house but, as you can see by the brick, they aren’t very large. Just a lovely little punctuation, a comma if you will, between the floors!
Row House Living 