The exterior of the Pratt Street townhouses on the East Side of Providence. ON THE COVER: A living room with a gas fireplace; the third-floor deck.

The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy

This three-bedroom townhouse on the East Side of Providence combines a sleek modern design, urban convenience and great city views from its terraces.

It’s located at 2 Pratt St., one of six units in a building designed by noted architect Friedrich St. Florian. The townhouse is built on three levels, four if you count the heated two-car garage. It’s offered for sale at $745,000.

Owners Vince McNamara and Elliot Garcia bought the unit in 2005. Both work in the Boston area — McNamara for a technology company and Garcia for the federal government. The townhouse fits what McNamara calls their “golden rule” for commuting — they should live no more than a mile from the train station.

McNamara said the two had bought a condo in the Conrad Building in downtown Providence in 1999. While driving around the East Side, they noticed the St. Florian building under construction, and liked both the look and the location. So they investigated, and when the building was finished, they bought one of the units. McNamara said that while he and Garcia enjoyed living in a historic building, they were attracted by the 21st Century amenities of 2 Pratt St.

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“We love the convenience, the contemporary architecture. The place has everything you need for people like us who are on the run all the time,” McNamara said. “In Boston, this would be close to $1.5 million — you get so much more for your money here.” McNamara said the townhouse is particularly attractive in spring and summer, when he and Garcia can take full advantage of its three terraces.

But despite their proximity to the Providence train station, McNamara said he and Garcia are now considering reducing their commute by moving closer to Boston.

By car, the townhouse can be entered through a gated driveway off of Olney Street that leads into a two-car garage. McNamara said having a garage that leads directly into the house is wonderful, particularly when the weather is bad. “That might be the one thing I’ll miss the most,” he said.

A set of stairs from the garage leads to the living room and kitchen, an open space with white walls and hardwood floors. The living room has a fireplace, framed in granite with an oak mantle, that can burn either wood or gas. (It’s currently set for gas). There are built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace.

The living room flows into an elegant kitchen with a wide granite counter that holds the stovetop and sink. Maple cabinetry, including a pantry with sliding drawers, sets off the stainless steel appliances and a backsplash made from iridescent glass tiles. A stainless steel hood that hangs from the ceiling over the stovetop has an almost sculptural quality.

Sliding glass doors off the living room lead to what McNamara calls the “dining terrace,” which has a hookup for a gas grill and a circular staircase leading down to a small private garden. This level also includes a half bath with a distinctive “salad bowl” sink that resembles, well, a big salad bowl.

The next level up is devoted to the bedrooms. The master bedroom has double closets, city views from its windows and is wired with Polk speakers in the ceiling and a cable-ready hook-up for a flat screen TV on the wall. There’s also a built-in bookshelf. The master bathroom has two sinks, shower, linen closet and a Zuma Airbath tub, which uses warm air bubbles to soothe the body.

McNamara said he and Garcia had extra insulation installed in the house, so all the rooms are very quiet.

The second floor includes another bedroom, which is being used as an office, and a guest bathroom that is painted an eye-popping New Lime Green. “I love this color green; people are either going to love it or hate it,” McNamara said.

The room on the top level of the townhouse is flanked by terraces on either side, and could be used as a bedroom, office or media room. “We absolutely live up here,” McNamara said. He and Garcia use it as a media room, with a 43-inch plasma HDTV and five Bose speakers. All the cables are hidden, with the electronic components located in a closet to the right of the TV.

The deck facing the city is one of McNamara’s favorite spots in the townhouse, with a city view that includes the State House, the Providence Place mall and the downtown skyline. During fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve or July 4, McNamara said, he has one of the best seats in the city. The branches of a large tree extend up to the terrace level. When the tree has its leaves “you feel like you’re in a treehouse,” McNamara said.

The townhouse at 2 Pratt St. is for sale at $745,000. It has 1,900 square feet of living space, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and one half bath. There is a security system, central air, and gas heating with four separate zones. Real estate taxes are $9,539. The condo fee is $350 per month. The Realtor is Celia Almonte, calmonte@residentialproperties.com, (401) 553-6336. There will be an open house tomorrow from 2 to 3:30 p.m.How to submit a House of the Week

A different House of the Week appears each Saturday in the projoHomes section of The Providence Journal. The feature tells the story of the house and the people who have lived in it. If you would like us to consider a house for sale as a subject of this news feature, send a photo, information about the house and why it is of interest, to Christine Dunn or Andy Smith, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902; fax (401) 277-8250; or e-mail pjhomes@projo.com. For more information, call Dunn: (401) 277-7913 or Smith: (401) 277-7485.