Philly developer paying it forward | Real Estate Newsletter
And 1,300+ homes planned near stadiums
Andre Johnson spent most of his life living in public housing in North Philly. But, he said, he always wanted more for himself.
So he bought his first home through a Philadelphia Housing Authority program and then set out to be a real estate developer, seizing every opportunity he could.
His goal in starting his business was to help people who looked like him and needed access to opportunities like he had. He wanted to provide some of the affordable housing for low-income families that Philly desperately needs.
This month, he sold his first renovated home.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Living near the stadiums: See the newest proposal to add a lot of homes to South Philly’s stadium district.
Auctioning off a castle: Take a look at this local historically designated property up for grabs that was once owned by an asbestos magnate.
Character in Radnor: Peek inside a Victorian home with original features designed by a famed Philly architect.
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I first heard about Andre Johnson this summer when I was working on a story about another former Philadelphia Housing Authority renter who became a homeowner thanks to a PHA program: Dwayne Fair, the North Philly guy who’s known for fixing neighbors’ homes and who finally got to renovate his own.
Johnson had gone through training programs in electrical and construction work, started his own company, and was looking to sell his first investment property.
The home in Kingsessing was in rough shape when he got it from PHA last year. I’m talking holes in the walls, missing bits of ceiling, rotting wood, graffiti on the walls, and ripped-up floor tiles. He gutted the home and transformed it.
When I first talked to Johnson in September, he had just held his first open house — on the anniversary of the day he lost his brother to gun violence. The father of two took that as a sign he was doing what he was meant to do.
He sold the home earlier this month.
Keep reading to learn about the first-time homeowner who bought his property, how Johnson got to this point, and what he’s planning next.
More than 1,300 apartments could be coming to a newly vacant site near Philly’s stadiums.
The homes are part of a big development planned for the stadium district in South Philly that would include an office tower, stores, and a restaurant and entertainment complex. It would go up just to the east of the Live! Casino and Hotel and northeast of Citizens Bank Park.
Four of the six buildings would be mostly residential.
“This would create a mixed-use neighborhood that would provide amenities to support itself, as well as those visiting the sports complex,” a municipal transportation planner told the Philadelphia Planning Commission.
This proposal comes as Comcast Spectacor plans an even larger $2.5 billion housing and entertainment project to the west of the site.
See what the newest plan for the stadium district could look like and what City Council President Kenyatta Johnson says its role will be in the district’s transformation.
The latest news to pay attention to
Tenants at a catastrophically neglected West Philly apartment building will have to move out as PHA makes extensive repairs.
Four months after the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office pledged to do something about widespread delays in recording deeds after property auctions, the process remains broken.
Here’s why homebuyers in the Northeast and across the country moved this year, according to real estate agents.
A new apartment building proposed for South Broad Street would have larger units, bucking the city’s small-apartment trend.
The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Pennsylvania, saying the state is violating federal law by limiting housing options for people with autism or intellectual disabilities.
How much does a castle cost? In this Philly suburb, $1.5 million is the starting bid.
A 204-unit apartment building under construction on North Front Street will bring two new restaurants to the Fishtown area.
House of the week: For $470,000 in Fairmount, a three-bedroom rowhouse near the Schuylkill.
Kate Hermans found her Victorian home in Radnor as she scrolled through Zillow, checking out unique homes for sale. She and her husband, Paul, went to see the house that Kate called “charming” with “amazing character.” They quickly made an offer.
The three-story, 6,000-square-foot home was built in 1878 and still has some of its original features that were designed by famed architect Frank Furness, including:
fireplaces and decorative mantels
an atrium skylight on the third floor
a butler’s pantry
the staircase railing between the second and third floors
Paul is a woodworker, and he’s restored antique shutters and old doors. And the Hermanses carefully matched original details when they renovated their home. They redid the kitchen, added a covered side porch, and expanded an outdoor stone patio.
Peek inside the family’s six-bedroom, 5½-bathroom home and find out why it reminds the owners of Hogwarts.
🧠 Trivia time
Joe Frazier’s gym on North Broad Street, once a historic boxing sanctuary, is now vacant and deteriorating. The building is on national and local registries of historic places, but it could face demolition if no one steps up to save it.
Question: What was the most recent use for the former heavyweight champion’s gym?
A) Goodwill store
B) furniture store
C) credit union
D) restaurant
This story has the answer.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
Shoutout to Janet P., Lars W., and Rosemary C. for knowing last week’s photo was taken in Washington Square Park.
I love the park. Once a couple years ago, I was sitting on a bench there basking in the sunshine and saw a man proposing to a woman across the park. Very heartwarming.
An older gentleman sitting in a wheelchair next to me said (pretty loudly), “Don’t do it.” The couple didn’t hear, everyone clapped for them, and my park neighbor and I laughed and laughed. I hope both that man and the couple are doing well.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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