During a real estate downturn in which even tax credits couldn't always guarantee new homes would sell, Naval Square managed to buck the trend with what buyers cited as a combination of location, security, and newness.
"Though Naval Square is not for everyone, I think its popularity is evidence that it filled a void in the Center City housing market," said Jeff Block of Prudential Fox & Roach Real Estate.
Buyers paid prices ranging from $308,900 for the least expensive, 938-square-foot, one-bedroom condo to about $900,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath unit with a den.
Some, like Fridman, were first-time buyers. Others were way past that, like the Silvers, who lived for "391/2 years" in a condo at Chanticleer in Cherry Hill, which they sold at the end of May.
Selling in a down market was very difficult, said Arthur Silver, 74, a retired marketing executive: "We took a bath . . . at least a very short haircut."
The couple - Rebecca Silver, 70, is a retired school administrator - spent $756,834 for a three-bedroom, two-bath condo, city records show.
"I spent $365,000 for mine," said Fridman, 32, a research assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Drexel University, where he obtained his doctorate in 2008. "I tell all of my friends that I paid $600,000, and they never question it."
Fridman's parents, who lived in Marlton, liked his unit enough to buy their own in May for $576,400.
Naval Square's population of about 900 includes singles, empty nesters, and a growing number - estimates are 30 percent - of families with children.
"A baby boom started two years ago," said Tami Dimmerman, 37, who in 2007 bought a $408,000 townhouse with husband Harper, 38, a lawyer. "It seems half the families have little children."
The Dimmermans have contributed to the boom: They arrived with Chloe, now 4; Sienna, 18 months, came later.
