Affordable homes for historic property | Real Estate Newsletter

A unique — and formerly crumbling — historic property in North Philly is poised for new life.

The twin mansion on the 2200 block of West Tioga Street is almost 130 years old. The Conkling-Armstrong Terra Cotta Co. had the building constructed near its factory to show off its products to potential customers: late-19th-century developers and architects. Elaborate details and decorations make it one of a kind.

But the building has been vacant for a while and fell into disrepair. Now, a local developer has big plans to reimagine it.

Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:

— Michaelle Bond

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The Conkling-Armstrong Houses weren’t safe to walk through when Brian Wise, an affordable housing developer, got a hold of them. He’s since spent $1 million to lay the groundwork for redevelopment.

His plan is to build 12 apartments in each of the roughly 5,000-square-foot houses that make up the twin mansion. And he wants to build two additions in the back to fit more apartments.

Wise plans for most of the homes to go to low-income tenants who use Philadelphia Housing Authority vouchers to help pay their rent.

Philly’s zoning board gave Wise the green light last month, but he still needs approvals from the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

Keep reading to learn more about the developer’s plans for the site and the historical legacy of the company behind the Conkling-Armstrong house.

Beautiful views come at a premium at the Shore. And Shore homeowners want to make sure they’re getting the most out of their investment.

As Laura Glantz, partner at a Jenkintown-based architecture firm, told my colleague, “When a view is one of a property’s greatest assets, every design decision should work to celebrate and preserve it.”

When Katie and Randy Zakreski rebuilt their home in Strathmere, they wanted to optimize views of the ocean on one side and the bay on the other.

That meant installing as many windows and glass doors as possible on every floor. They don’t mind not having much wall space for pictures, since the views act as dynamic wall furnishings.

Views dictated the layout of their home inside and out. They have five exterior decks from which to look around.

Read on to find out how owners of Shore homes are maximizing their views inside and outside.

📮Did you buy a home for the views? Email me to show us what you see.

Coming up the driveway of this Schwenksville home, you can’t really see the house. All that’s visible is solar panels on the roof, peeking out from behind trees and a meadow.

Homeowners Marla Hexter and Larry Cohen take caring for the environment seriously. They’ve got two electric vehicles, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and those solar panels.

They also have two wildflower meadows in their front yard. The meadows replaced their typical lawn and extend from their frog pond to the curb. They’re beacons for admiring neighbors, some of whom ask for tips for creating their own meadows.

The wildflowers attract pollinating insects and 17 bird species.

Hexter and Cohen grow vegetables and added a house specifically to welcome bats.

Peek inside this wild piece of Schwenksville.

Do you know the location this photo shows?

📮 If you think you do, email me back.

Last week’s quiz featured a photo taken near the Independence Seaport Museum at the Penn’s Landing Marina.

Shoutout to Bruce R. and Merrily T. for knowing that.

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Does your town let you keep chickens in your backyard? Collingswood is one of the local places that ban the animals.

Some residents there have been fighting for years to have chickens and the fresh eggs they lay. But they’ve got reason to hope that this year will be different.

Try to stay cool and enjoy the rest of your week.

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