Philadelphia's MTV 'Real World' House Sold for $5M

A South Jersey firm has bought the bank-turned-MTV Real World House in Old City for $5 million. Christopher Aker, the owner of tech company Linode, tells Philadelphia Business Journal that he's moving his headquarters in Galloway, N.J. to the 15,000-square-foot space at 249 Arch St. Built in 1902 by Philly architect John T. Brugger as the Union Bank of Philadelphia, it later became the Girard Corn Exchange National Bank, Seaman's Church Institute, and then, most infamously, MTV's Real World House in 2004, where, let's just say things happened. Most recently, the building has served as an event space for Trust and was last owned by convicted felon Michael Yaron. It went on the market in July 2014 for $4.3 million.

Despite its many uses, the interior of the building has maintained its neoclassical beauty. The open floor plan features a stunning chandelier and a mezzanine that overlooks the first floor. Aker says that he plans to make interior renovations fit for his company, which will be mostly millennials. "I'm proud of having bought the building, and I feel like we're going to save this thing," Aker said in the article. "I hope the community appreciates it as well. We will leave it in a better condition than we found it."

·Exclusive: South Jersey firm buys MTV's 'Real World' house [PBJ]
·Old City's huge 'Real World' Corn Exchange asks $4.3M [Curbed Philly]