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Location trumps space at Avenir apartments in Center City – Metro US

Location trumps space at Avenir apartments in Center City

Location trumps space at Avenir apartments in Center City

If you’re looking for space, Center City isn’t your best bet. But even in the most expensive part of town, where you’re often paying primarily for location, 300 square feet is tight. Then again, it might be all you need.

“So many times people are paying for square footage of unusable space,” says Jessica Scully, head of the Scully Company. The developer, along with Alterra Property Company, just remodeled 42 S. 15th St. into Avenir: 180 apartments ranging from a little over 300 square feet to just over 1,000.

Rent starts at $1,138.

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“The apartments are smart,” Scully says, referring to the smaller units in particular. “Not just in that they have smart thermostats, but how the space is used — whether there is a sliding door versus an opening door.”

Another example is the multi-functional furniture. Renters can opt to install a desk that turns into a bed.

The smaller units are being called flats, while the more traditional layouts go up to a two-bedroom.

Avenir also features a communal kitchen and a lounge with a Ping Pong table and a movie-screening area, giving the building a college-dorm-for-adults vibe (though much sleeker than any dorm we lived in). There’s also a fitness center, indoor bike storage, bike maintenance stations and a doorman.

So what do you do if you invite over your friends with bikes but need somewhere to plan out your start up after a game of Ping Pong? Avenir has set up “think suites” across the hall from the lounge: They’re mini-conference rooms with tables, TVs and a/v hookups.

In terms of who will be using them, Scully fulfills her marketing role by emphasizing there is something for everyone in this new building — although she does mention one group who might be eyeing the Avenir: “We definitely know there are a lot of medical students in town.”

Location, location, location

Avenir is at 15th and Chestnut in the heart of Center City, surrounded by bars, restaurants, businesses, gyms, public transportation — pretty much everything city life had to offer. Dilworth Park in front of City Hall is just up the street, Rittenhouse Square is a few block away and, most importantly, the brand new Cheesecake Factory is a one-minute walk.As Scully puts it, “the whole city is a playground right out the front door.”