House of the week: A Center City condo in the Phoenix for $459,900
The owner calls it "the perfect corporate condo."
“Originally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Philly,” says Atlanta native John McAleer, “but it grew on me.”
Largely this is due to the two-bedroom, two-bath 12th-floor condo he and business partner Tom McAllister bought in the Phoenix near Rittenhouse Square in 2020. “It was the day the world shut down,” he says — the cancellation of the March Madness college basketball tournament and everything else that fell victim to COVID.
“It was stunning, a no-brainer,” he says. “You look out and you’re staring at the clock on City Hall. And the staff is fantastic. The perfect corporate condo.”
And, he adds, joking about his name and his partner’s, “there’s an Irish bar in the building, and that doesn’t hurt.”
Still, McAleer, CEO of a technology company then working locally, and McAllister, the COO, thought about not completing the sale, “but we were spending $30,000 a year on hotels, and we were too long into the process.”
Now, however, they are working for a technology company based in India, and there’s less reason to keep the place. McAleer spends most of his time in Georgia and Tennessee, McAllister in Las Vegas and Vail.
The unit has new hardwood floors, high ceilings, and an open floor plan. The kitchen has granite countertops, GE stainless steel appliances, and a large pantry. The washer and dryer are in a separate closet off the kitchen.
The primary bedroom has views of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a walk-in closet, and an en suite bathroom with a tiled tub/shower combo.
The HVAC system is new.
The Phoenix is pet-friendly, with a 24/7 concierge, valet parking, and a landscaped roof terrace with outdoor grills and a 360-degree view of the city. There is a fitness center, media room, and direct access from the residential elevator to Suburban Station.
The unit is listed by Arielle Roemer of BHHS Fox & Roach At the Harper Rittenhouse Square for $459,900.