The Folsom House

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Folsom Street Guest House is AMSP’s experiment with accessibility in the city. Most people are astonished when we tell them that we have installed a full-sized elevator in a small, typical 19th century Philadelphia rowhouse. Making one of our homes workable for a wheelchair user created unique challenges. To allow for direct street access, the front steps had to be removed. The front door was expanded in width and height and a new enlarged transom installed. All this needed to be accomplished without changing the house’s proportions or disturbing the streetscape. Inside the entire living room was lowered and the staircase to the second floor was reversed. The second floor has a private bedroom but the remainder of the space has been opened up to provide access from the elevator to the computer worktable, the laundry corner, the roll-in shower, and the vanity sink. A futon in the living room and personal storage space in the basement are available for use by an attendant or another guest. Unlike our other guest houses which are filled with knickknacks and lots of old furniture, we have gone "mod" here with bright colors and uncluttered décor which we hope is both fun and functional for our guests with mobility impairments.