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Midcentury modern with original bright blue bathroom asks $450K

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Designed by prolific Philly architect Frank Weise

By Megan Barber
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An exterior view of a white, boxy house with wide bands of windows, grass, and trees, all around. Photos by Jack Zigon Photography

Located in the Roxborough neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, this three-bedroom, two-bath home was designed in 1951 by Frank Weise, a local architect who studied under Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and Philly’s very own architecture legend, Louis Kahn.

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The City of Brotherly love isn’t known for being a mecca of midcentury modern architecture, but rest assured there are some outstanding examples, designed by architects like Kahn, Robert McElroy, and Richard Neutra. But Weise was one of the city’s most prolific, designing homes throughout Philly from the 1950s through the 1980s.

The latest Weise work to catch our eye is the just-listed, 1,782-square-foot Carner House. The current sellers are the fourth owners of the home, and many of the original details remain. The white, boxy facade features one of Weise’s favorite design elements: bands of windows that run from top to bottom.

Inside, those same windows filter light into the two-story foyer and living room, where you’ll also find a fireplace, original woodwork, and Isamu Noguchi pendants. Natural materials like wood and burlap balance out the concrete and cinderblock, and full-height windows and sliding doors open onto a back patio. Updates include kitchen appliances and recessed lighting in the bedrooms, but the bathrooms—including one with bright baby blue tile—remain in original condition. Love what you see? 5501 Houghton Street is on the market now for $449,900.

An exterior view of a boxy, flat-roofed house with a brown door and grass.
The front facade is boxy and flat-roofed, and a side fence echoes Weise’s band of windows in the living room.
A living room has a white fireplace, large windows, and a red couch.
Combined with the overhanging roof, the bands of windows in the living room eliminate the need for window coverings.
A dining room with a wooden table, four blue chairs, and a Japanese room divider in the background.
Japanese accent dividers in the dining room sit next to floor-to-ceiling windows.
A galley kitchen with brick floors, a white counter, and wooden cabinet.
The galley kitchen features updated appliances.
A foyer with glass walls and stairs that go upwards next to cork walls.
Stairs pass by a light-filled foyer and lead to the bedrooms on the second story.
A door entering a bright blue midcentury bathroom.
An original bathroom with bright baby blue tile.
A bedroom has a wooden bed, cork accent wall, and large window.
Bedrooms feature cork accent walls and new recessed lighting.

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