The Avant
Modern ornament alongside a Philadelphia landmark.
LOCATION: Fishtown / Philadelphia, PA
1148 Frankford Avenue
DUNTON STREET / ELEVATIONA dialogue
across time.
An architectural conversation between Frank Furness's 19th-century bank and a new residential building in Fishtown.
The Avant brings 60 new apartments and ground-floor commercial space to Frankford and Girard while preserving the historic Kensington National Bank as a landmark at the corner.
Designed as a contemporary backdrop rather than a competing object, the new building responds to the bank's scale, material expression, and urban presence.
A civic landmark,
reoccupied.
Opened on February 23, 1878, the Frank Furness-designed bank remains a powerful piece of Fishtown's architectural history. The adjacent construction creates a measured relationship between old and new.
The original bank building is retained for renewed commercial use with five adaptive-reuse residences above. The new construction establishes a complementary street wall without diminishing the original bank's identity.
New housing, historic architecture, and neighborhood commerce share the same intersection.
Modern
ornament.
A contemporary brick facade grounded in the decorative ambition of its historic neighbor.
The light-grey masonry wrapper uses subtle changes in projection, texture, and depth to catch light and shadow. Rather than reproducing the bank's ornate stonework, the design translates ornament into a contemporary language.
New ways
to live.
Sixty new apartments complement five adaptive-reuse residences within the former bank. Light, space, and efficient layouts drive the interior design on a constrained city site.
The project integrates residential life with a historic street corner, supported by shared amenities, a roof deck, bike parking, and active commercial frontage.
Reactivating
the corner.
The new commercial frontage accommodates Wells Fargo along Girard and Dunton Streets, allowing the historic bank at the corner to find a new use. Public-facing retail and residential entries keep the streets active.
On the ground, the building contributes to the changing life of Frankford Avenue through storefronts, access points and active uses. The new work gives the existing bank room to retain its distinct character.
Intelligence
in the plan.
OOMBRA's LT Studio Unit concept turns the typical studio apartment sideways, running its long dimension along the exterior wall to improve daylight and deliver approximately 15% more usable floor area.
Alternative unit proportions unlock value and daylight on a dimensionally constrained site.
Material, atmosphere,
and experience.
HONOR AWARD
Unbuilt Architecture
MERIT AWARD
General Built
SILVER MEDAL
Architectural Excellence Design Awards