2129 Spruce St.
c. 1860, 1913, refacing
Presumably 2129 was originally identical to the Second Empire townhouses on either side, with which it shares the same mansard roof. Early in the 20th century it was transformed by the application of Mercer tile, manufactured at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, Bucks County. Henry Chapman Mercer, a leader in the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts movement, founded the Works in 1898 in an effort to recreate early Pennsylvania pottery manufacturing techniques. Particularly striking is the treatment of the upper stories with muted yellow tiles laid in a diamond pattern. The arched entrance is framed by tiles forming a curving ribbon punctuated by colorful rosettes.