In a 1967 issue of The American City magazine, what was then a 70-year-old brick rowhouse was profiled as a model example of rehabilitation in distressed neighborhoods. The home was originally built in the 1950s as a single-family home. It was purchased by the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) at some point for rehabilitation. It was transformed from a single-family dwelling into "a modern, completely equipped multiple dwelling offering decent accommodations for three low-income families." It cost $34,500 for the entire renovation.
The results:
Prior to renovation, [this address] was laid out as a single-family house. Not it comprises three apartment units of about 1,000 square feet each, one two-bedroom and two-three-bedroom. One apartment occupies the entire first floor; the remaining two are split vertically between the second and third floors. This vertical stacking, or duplexing, eliminates the need for a third-floor walk up, and it provides tenants with some of the advantages of a two-story home. The renovation included prefabricated stairways, new chimneys, sheet plastic wall coverings and drop ceilings. It was spurred by a flooring firm, which leased it from PHDC to practice "slum rehab" skills. It was chosen from 30 area homes as the most typical at 20 feet wide and 70 feet deep. After all was said and done, the building was purchased by the same outfit that owns the address today.
So, fellow Cornerspotters, what's the neighborhood and, if you're really keen, the intersection?
P.S. Bonus quote from the article:
PHDC is developing a land bank through open-market purchases, gifts and the city's foreclosures on tax-delinquent properties. Plus ça change...
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