Italian Market House

Location: Italian Market, Philadelphia

This property had the luck or the misfortune to be something of Greensaw guinea pig. Bought by me, as a house to eventually live in, it seemed an appropriate Ground Zero for architectural salvage. It began as a shell – we demo’ed completely, installed all the systems, and then started to have fun. A roof skylight in the shower? Sure. A crescent cut-out in the drywall filled with glass to expose the 1920s wallpaper? Why not. Using the oak flooring to trim out the bathroom? Go for it. Copper flashing around the pocket door closet? Knock yourself out. Taking out the third floor joists to make a cathedral ceiling? Even we draw the line somewhere.

But generally, if we had an idea, this was Los Alamos, our unofficial test lab, where the magic starts – or, in certain cases, ends. The results, if I do say so, are quite cool. We used salvaged pocket doors for the closet, we reclaimed all the old 3x5 framing and had it exposed, we used salvaged tile, a salvaged sink, salvaged the bathtub, sanded three coats of paint from the floors, and salvaged pine for the wainscot. The house is almost entirely built using architectural salvage, functions as a great showroom, and is living testament to how material can be recycled in ways beautiful.

Client Testimonial

"I mean, I think it's pretty cool..."

Brendan I. Jones

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