Barrett Henry, REALTOR®, Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker, REMAX Collective · 23+ years of real estate experience · No obligation
Photo: Chalo Garcia / Unsplash
Quick Answer
The word penthouse has nothing to do with "pent" or "house." It comes from the medieval word pentis, which meant a lean-to shed attached to the side of a building. People reshaped it into "penthouse" in the 1500s, and it only started meaning a luxury rooftop apartment around 1921 in New York.
Today a penthouse is the most expensive address in the building. For most of its 700 year history, though, the word described the add-on nobody bragged about. Here is how a shed climbed all the way to the top floor.
It started as a shed
Around 1300, English speakers used the word pentis for a small shed or sloped roof sticking off the side of a bigger building. It came from the Old French apentis, meaning an attached building or appendage. Go back further and you hit the Latin appendere, to hang on. That is the same root behind "append" and "appendix."
In other words, the original penthouse was a humble lean-to. Medieval English sermons even described the stable where Jesus was born as a penthouse.
A medieval lean-to, called an appentis in French, built against Meaux Cathedral. This is what penthouse first meant. Illustration from an 1856 French architecture dictionary, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
How "house" snuck into the word
By the 1530s, people had reshaped pentis into penthouse. Language experts call this folk etymology: when a word sounds strange, people bend it toward words they already know. "House" made sense for a building. The French word pente, meaning slope, likely helped too, since these sheds had sloped roofs.
From shed to skyline
When skyscrapers went up in the early 1900s, the small structures on their roofs, like elevator machine rooms and water tank enclosures, were called penthouses. Still not glamorous.
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Living on a skyscraper roof in New York City, around 1919. Library of Congress, Bain Collection, no known restrictions on publication.
Then came the Roaring Twenties. New York's building boom put real apartments on those rooftops, and dictionaries record the rooftop apartment meaning starting in 1921. That is when penthouse and luxury became the same word. Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post's 54 room rooftop home on Fifth Avenue helped lock in the image.
What a penthouse means today
Today a penthouse is the top-floor unit of a condo or apartment building. What usually sets it apart:
Top-floor views with no neighbors above you
Higher ceilings and larger floor plans
Private terraces or rooftop space
Premium finishes and limited supply, which supports resale value
Penthouse living in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay has its own version of the dream: water views over the bay, sunsets over the Gulf and walkable downtown neighborhoods. Penthouse and top-floor condos come up across downtown Tampa, the Channel District, Bayshore, downtown St. Petersburg and the Pinellas beaches. Supply is limited, so the good ones move fast.
If you are shopping a top-floor unit, look past the view. Check the building's milestone inspection and reserve study status, the roof age and any open special assessments, since top-floor owners feel roof problems first. Our guide to Florida condo rules for buyers walks through what to ask for.
Thinking about buying or selling a penthouse or top-floor condo? Call or text Barrett Henry at (813) 733-7907. I have been licensed for 23 years, and I know how to price and market the units that do not come up often.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the word penthouse come from?
It comes from the Middle English word pentis, a lean-to shed, which came from the Old French apentis and the Latin appendere, meaning to hang on. The house spelling appeared in the 1500s through folk etymology.
Did penthouse always mean a luxury apartment?
No. For centuries it meant a shed or sloped roof attached to the side of a building. The rooftop apartment meaning is recorded starting in 1921 in New York, and that is when the word became tied to luxury.
What makes a condo a penthouse?
A penthouse is the top-floor unit of a condo or apartment building. It usually has better views, higher ceilings, a larger floor plan and private outdoor space such as a terrace.
Are there penthouse condos in Tampa Bay?
Yes. Penthouse and top-floor condos come up in downtown Tampa, the Channel District, Bayshore, downtown St. Petersburg and along the Pinellas beaches. Supply is limited, so the best units sell quickly.
Barrett Henry is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker at REMAX Collective with 23 years licensed. He helps buyers and sellers across Tampa Bay, including condo and top-floor unit owners. Contact Barrett at (813) 733-7907.
