Upsal Gardens in the News!

This article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, May 2, 1999:

Out of the twenties, Gothic apartments offer style, comfort
By Sheila Dyan
FOR THE INQUIRER

   A walk around West Mount Airy reveals a neighborhood of lush landscaping, huge old trees, and fascinating architecture, including Victorian, Greek and Gothic Revival - a stellar example of which is Upsal Gardens Apartments.

   Set on a terraced site, the brick and stone (Wissahickon schist) walls of Upsal Gardens are covered with ivy and distinguished by bays, turned gables, battlements, half-timbers, corbels, leaded glass and pointed arches.

   The castlelike Upsal Gardens was constructed in 1926 as a luxury apartment house near a train line that had made the outlying community accessible to Center City.

   Today, all but a handful of the 146 apartments at Upsal Gardens have different floor plans. Units range from studios to three-bedroom/three-bath apartments that were originally built to accommodate maid's quarters.

   Inside, the 550- to 1,500-square-foot apartments feature hardwood floors, deep window sills, and the original wood trim. Found in many units are built-in cabinetry, cut-glass doorknobs, mirrored doors, and formal dining rooms. Most units have cedar closets. Apartments rent for $S25 to $925 a month.

   The population of Upsal Gardens includes many professionals and artists.

   "The neighborhood is great, very diverse, and it attracts a lot of artists. The people are all very friendly," said Laurie Haggart, a ceramist, who has lived at Upsal Gardens for 3 1/2 years.

   "The exterior of the building and the courtyard are beautiful. This is one of the few places in the city with this much grass and trees. And, inside, the space is just wonderful. The rooms are really large, and I like the hardwood floors," she said. " ... Management is wonderful, and maintenance gets here very, very quickly when you need them."

   The management office for Upsal Gardens is on-site and serves as central office for Real Properties. The property manager, Cheryl Aldin, has been at Upsal Gardens for 15 years.

   Dennaro Gama, a chemist, and his wife, Jessica Kissinger, a biologist, moved to Upsal Gardens in July [of 1998]. The two University of Pennsylvania scientists met as graduate students in Indiana and then moved to Brazil, Gama's homeland.

   "My wife flew over to look for an apartment, and had looked at several. Although some were in the same price range, the level of comfort and appearance were best at Upsal Gardens," Gama said. "Windows are everywhere. It's sunny, wellventilated, and there are lots of closets. It's an old building, but it has wonderful maintenance. You never have to call twice to have something done."

   It was not always so. When Real Properties bought Upsal Gardens at a sheriff's sale in 1983, the grounds were in deplorable condition, the swimming pool was unusable, and the laundry facilities were inoperable, according to Jonathan Lipner, a partner in Real Properties.

   A $1.5 million refurbishing of the four-story, U-shaped building resulted in new roofs; rebuilt heating system, swimming pool and elevators; redecorated lobbies and hallways; new laundry facilities; replacement of old oil tanks; and new landscaping.

   "And we concentrated on having a really nice tenant base," Lipner said.

   Laurie Haggart appreciates what Real Properties has done for the property, and has added a few creative touches of her own. Trompe l'oeil paintings of clouds and sky appear in the seven entrance foyers of Upsal Gardens, and filling three exterior walls are trompe l'oeil garden scenes incorporating some ceramic work.

   "I wanted to create something in the garden area to blend with the building and the architecture ... something that would look nice when people drove by," Haggart said.

The Details:
Name: Upsal Gardens Apartments.
Address: 246 West Upsal St.
Phone: 215-843-6211
Type of housing: Rental apartments.
Number of units: 150.
Rental range: $525 to $925; all utilities included; studio to three bedrooms.
Owner/manager: Real Properties.
Arnenities: Hardwood floors; coin-operated laundry room; swimming pool for residents only, $25 per person, per season; off-street parking lot.
Pets: Pets accepted with approval from management; one-time charge of $50 to $100.
Shopping: Food market in shopping center within walking distance; food co-op, walking distance; Willow Grove Mall and Plymouth Meeting Mall, about 20-minute drive; shopping in Manayunk and Chestnut Hill, 5-minute drive.
Public transportation: Upsal Street train station, walking distance; several SEPTA bus lines, walking distance.
Directions: From Center City, take the Schuylkill Expressway to Lincoln Drive. Go to the seventh traffic light and turn right onto Greene Street. Go to the second traffic light and turn left onto Upsal. Upsal Garden Apartments is on the right.