On The Market: A neighborhood oasis in Logan Square for $624K

Robert Sutton already knew a little about Logan Square when he was house hunting in 1993.

"Even before I bought the house, I knew a few people who lived down the block and around the corner, and I knew it was a place where people cared about the neighborhood," he said.

Sutton got to know the neighborhood very well as he and his partner – now husband – undertook a major renovation to their circa-1853 home before moving in.

"[It] was essentially a shell," Sutton said. "When we walked through the dining room to the old shed kitchen where the wood floor had rotted, we were standing on earth."

Renovations included removing the back wall from the house, pouring a new foundation, building a kitchen from scratch, installing two bathrooms and two decks, and completely replacing the heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems.

"We basically rebuilt a new house in the walls of the original," Sutton said.

Today, the three-bedroom home features maple hardwood flooring, custom-tiled baths and plenty of storage.

"We really tried to maximize the use of space everywhere," Sutton said.

He said the couple was able to build the house they wanted within a neighborhood that seemed like an oasis.

"I felt that I had discovered a beautiful, peaceful old neighborhood hidden just around the corner from the Center City bustle of Market Street and JFK Boulevard," Sutton said. "I thought it would be great to be just a block from the Franklin Institute."

Since the 90s, he said the neighborhood has only improved with the construction of the Barnes Foundation, Sister Cities Park and Paine Skate Park.

"After I moved in, I really felt the spirit of neighborhood - with potluck block parties, people helping each other out with snow shoveling, taking care of plants when away on vacation, planting new trees, and working on many other neighborhood improvements," he said.

Sutton said even though the couple is selling their house, they won't be going far.

"We still could not leave the neighborhood we enjoy so much," he said. "We found another place that we also love in a condominium nearby."

The neighborhood has been known to exert a long-term draw on residents, Sutton said.

"One couple down the street moved away to a larger new house in another area of the city, but after a few years returned to buy a house around the corner because they missed this neighborhood," he said.

The home is currently listed by Gary Mintz at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach for $624,900.

Click here to view the full listing >>