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Its vestibule reminds you where it came from. The rest of it takes you to a new and different place.

Given all the up-to-date, latest-and-greatest goodies found behind this classic rowhouse facade at 840 N. 26th St., Philadelphia, PA 19130, you just might say it’s golden. | Bright MLS images via RE/MAX One Realty

The words “Gilded Age” carry with them a connotation of opulence. Gilded Age houses usually have loads of ornamentation, huge rooms loaded with dark wood paneling or wainscoting, coffered ceilings — you get the picture.

Which makes the phrase “Gilded Age rowhouse” something of an oxymoron, since the rowhouse aesthetic is anything but opulent. And yet, that phrase fits this updated Fairmount Gilded Age rowhouse for sale.

Outside, it looks pretty much like any other 1890s rowhouse. It has a crenellated brick-and-metal cornice and stone lintels over the windows, just like its neighbors.

But its vestibule has that touch of gold. Or at least gold leaf. The renovation that turned the rest of this house into a 21st-century stunner preserved the vestibule’s etched-slate wainscoting, original doors and hardware, stained-glass transom window and crinkled-glass interior doors. It also preserved the original staircases and banisters.

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But once you step through those interior doors, everything aside from those banisters is totally 21st century.

Starting, of course, with its totally open main floor. Unlike most such main floors, though, this one uses color to distinguish its living room from its dining room.

That, and a striking modern chandelier in the dining room.

A peninsula with bar seating and built-in Polk Audio speakers through which you can stream music separates the dining room from the all-new kitchen. Its suite of stainless-steel appliances includes a professional-grade high-BTU gas range and high-volume range hood. And it has a touch of modern opulence in its Carrara marble countertops.

Beyond the kitchen, you will find a laundry closet, a powder room and a door that leads to this cute rear patio and herb garden. A gate leads from the patio to a private alley that empties onto string-lit Bailey Street.

Three bedrooms and a hall bath comprise the second floor. The rear bedroom currently functions as a family room; it could also serve as a home office.

The top floor contains the primary suite, whose bedroom has a vaulted ceiling, plenty of closet space and a built-in granite-topped vanity in its recess.

Its bathroom has a natural stone floor, a granite-topped dual vanity and a large stall shower with regular, rain and handheld shower heads. A door at the top of the stairs to this floor leads to the rear roof, where you could install a roof deck if you so desire.

The basement is partly finished and partly unfinished. The finished portion could function as a media room, rec room, gym or home office. Currently, it combines home office and den functions.

The guts of this house are as modern as its amenities. It has Cat5 Ethernet wiring and coaxial cable in every room, making it perfect for today’s work-from-home lifestyle. It also has an energy- and money-saving tankless water heater.

This artful blend of past and present is also conveniently situated close to both Fairmount Park and Girard Avenue in Brewerytown. Along the latter you will find several good eateries, a craft brewpub, a takeout beer emporium, unique local shops, a Wine & Spirits store and an Aldi supermarket. Several SEPTA transit routes — 7, 15, 32, 48 and 49 — all pass within three blocks of this residence as well.

All this makes this updated Fairmount Gilded Age rowhouse for sale quite a find — a house as modern as tomorrow, but one that remembers its past.

840 N. 26th St., Philadelphia, PA 19130 [Molly Wingert | RE/MAX One Realty]

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