A 2,000 sq.ft., circa-1882 house at 313 Pennsylvania Street, near the corner of Plymouth Avenue, is for sale. According to the Kleinhan's Community Association (KCA), "it is a good house on a good block with a driveway." It can be used either as a single family or two-family residence. The recently foreclosed upon home is being auctioned online, with bidding ending next Sunday, February 21. More on the property's history here.
An opening bid price has been set at $34,000 and initial bidders are limited to owner-occupants. Several years ago when the Department of Housing and Urban Development revamped their foreclosure model, they changed their policy to give priority to owner-occupants. If no owner-occupants bid on the house, then it will be opened up for general bidding.
According to KCA Housing Committee's Chris Brown, the purchaser must sign an affidavit that they are going to live in the home.
"I've been advocating for changes in the City's in-rem auction process to mirror this HUD process, but apparently it is complicated because it is a State law," says Brown. "It's a great policy to encourage homeownership and owner-occupancy."
KCA hopes a new owner will join others who have invested heavily in the neighborhood. The building next door at 315 Pennsylvania- a Victorian grocery store built circa 1882 (photo above)- is owned by neighborhood resident and veterinarian Susan Persico who owns a number of properties on Pennsylvania Street including the restaurant building at 350 Pennsylvania Street, corner of Normal Place. She has a vision of an organic grocer in the space. Around the corner, John Gulick is restoring two Victorian cottages at 50 and 54 Plymouth Avenue (below).
It's got those feeyancy decorative metal railings. Looks like it once had a full covered porch., but it was removed sometime during the height of wrought iron disease in the 1950s or 1970s. :(
right about that, dan. it is amazing how worthless a house looks after it has been wrought ironed and what a dramatic improvement it is to restore the columns and balustrades. we've sent way too many sound, livable houses to the landfill because wrought iron made them unlovable.