The Gas Lamp Hotel

A row home from 1845 steps from Elfreth's Alley reopened in August 2024 as a five-suite boutique hotel, each room named for a pioneer of electric lighting. It's a small, design-forward conversion by a group of local investors rather than a branded chain property.

The place

The hotel occupies a row home dating to 1845 at 140 North 2nd Street in Old City, overlooking Elfreth's Alley, one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the United States.

The concept

A group of five Philadelphia-area investors, led by furniture designer Wendell Holland, converted the historic rowhome into a five-suite hotel that opened in August 2024 — its first use as a hotel. Interior designer Abigail Shapansky based the decor on wallpaper patterns original to the building, and each suite is named after a pioneer of lighting and electricity (Edison, Tesla, Latimer, Davy, Adams), including a three-bedroom Edison suite with a full kitchen.

Dining & wellness

There is no full-service restaurant on site; several suites, including the Edison suite, include full kitchens, positioning the property closer to a design-led serviced apartment than a traditional hotel.