Pictures of Pretty Condos: The Ellington

Like the swingin’ jazz legend with which it shares a name, The Ellington’s fame began in the 1920’s. This neoclassical grande dame at 15th and Chestnut has seen plenty of change throughout the last century or so: it started life as The Franklin Trust Building and was converted to apartments – and renamed the Pennsylvania House – in 2000. Six years later, Pitcairn Properties bought out the property and, after extensive and expensive renovations, converted it to condos and renamed it once more. Today, as The Ellington, this is one of Rittenhouse Square‘s most consistently-desirable luxury condo buildings.

Jazz Age elegance greets you from the Chestnut Street entrance!

The elegance of this building hits you with a blast of swank pre-war nostalgia as you spot the Art Deco marquee over the entrance and pass the 24/7 doorman. In the lobby, fourteen-foot vaulted ceilings are hung with crystal pendant chandeliers that catch the light like earrings on a beautiful woman. Italian marble floors make that ideal, weighty click beneath your heels, and coffered walls soar to the heavens.

There are 160 units at The Ellington, spread over 21 floors. Each unit sports shining hardwood floors and ten-foot-high ceilings for unmatched airiness and warmth. Stainless appliances and crisp, luxurious bathrooms hit just the right note of gracious modernity. All the fixtures and trim seem to hum in well-appointed harmony, whispering “home!” when you cross the threshold. As the grace note, versized windows offer stunning peeks at Center City spread out below you.

Amenities include parking, an onsite gym and cafe, onsite storage, washers and dryers in each unit, and a current tax abatement. Current listings at The Ellington are priced from the high $200,000’s to the mid-$300,000’s for 1- and 2-bedroom units.

Sample condos for sale at The Ellington include:

1500 Chestnut St. #4D – 1/1, 859 sq. ft., $309,000

1500 Chestnut St. #8D – 1/1, 845 sq. ft., $310,000