Historic Opportunities
Are you looking for a piece of history to call your own? Dozens of properties for sale across the Philadelphia region are seeking buyers who recognize the value of history. The following listings have been recommended to the Preservation Alliance as "Historic Opportunities," properties on the market and in search of preservation-minded new owners. Don’t let your next home, business, or investment property become a lost opportunity.Please contact your realtor or the listing agent, not the Preservation Alliance, for more information on these properties. The Preservation Alliance claims no responsibility for statements made by sellers. To recommend a property for inclusion on this list, email advocacy@preservationalliance.com.
416 Bainbridge StreetPhiladelphia
Listed at $599,000
This lovingly-preserved eighteenth-century Queen Village townhouse features a cedar shake roof and pent eave, a Flemish-bond brick facade, and historically appropriate divided-light windows and wooden shutters. A rear roof deck and a beautifully-landscaped back patio provide ample outdoor space. Two and one-half baths, full kitchen plus third-floor kitchenette. The property has been listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places since 1961!
Contact: Judy Ron, Conway Team - Prudential Fox & Roach
267-670-1243
Click here for more information
Updated March 2013
418 Bainbridge StreetPhiladelphia
Listed at $599,000
This Queen Village townhouse dates to c. 1750 and features a cedar shake roof, wood clapboard siding, and historically appropriate divided-light windows. Original fireplaces and random-width pine floors. Four bedrooms and five baths, plus a beautifully-landscaped back patio. The property has been listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places since 1961!
Contact: Judy Ron, Conway Team - Prudential Fox & Roach
267-670-1243
Click here for more information
Updated March 2013
Dower House100 E. Goshen Road, West Chester, PA
Circa 1712; Restored by Brod Oakie in 1923
Listed at $799,000
This West Chester colonial was once home to famous author Joseph Hergesheimer, who hired noted architect R. Brognard Oakie for extensive renovations in 1923. The home sits on 3.5 acres and includes a carriage house studio, heated two-car garage, gazebo and stone garden house. Recently restored with new kitchen and bathrooms, plaster repair, and fresh paint throughout.
Contact: Debra Sparre, Re/Max Town & Country
484-356-8366
Click here for more information
Updated December 2012
105 Old Gulph Road, Gladwyne, PA
Built 1752
Listed at $945,000
The most historic house in Lower Merion, the John Roberts House dates to the mid-18th century and incorporates portions of an even older 17th century homestead. This 4000 sq ft fieldstone house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Lower Merion Architectural Hall of Fame. Fully modernized with 6 bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths on a beutiful half-acre site.
Contact: Charles D. Irwin, Long & Foster
Added September 2012
Added September 2012
Added September 2012
Dobson/Hohenadel House 
3617 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia
c. 1860
Listed at $325,000
c. 1860
Listed at $325,000
This striking East Falls gem was the long-time residence of the Hohenadel Brewery family and was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century by the Dobson family (of Dobson Mill fame). With historic features inside and out, the house is an amazing restoration opportunity. It features 6 bedrooms and 2 full baths, original millwork, fireplaces, and stained glass windows. It also features an original detached carriagehouse/garage. The property is being marketed with or without adjacent vacant parcels, making it vulnerable to redevelopment without a preservation-minded new owner.
Contact: Maria Quattrone, Coldwell Banker
Added September 2012
Elfreth's Alley Half House 
134 Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia
c. 1800
Listed at $499,900
c. 1800
Listed at $499,900
This immaculately-maintained 2,000 square foot house stands as the gateway to Elfreth's Alley, Philadelphia's most historic street. Amenities include excellent natural light (its three walls of windows are a rarity on the block), modern kitchen, two modern baths, new HVAC, and an historically-sensitive John Milner-designed two-story addition with a wrought-iron roof deck boasting views of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Price recently reduced from $565,000!
Contact: J. Scott Laughlin, Prudential Fox & Roach
215-248-6529Added September 2012
Hatboro Mill and Miller's House 
18 Horsham Road and 402 S. York Road, Hatboro, PA
Listed at $899,000
18 Horsham Road and 402 S. York Road, Hatboro, PA
Listed at $899,000
These two properties along Pennypack
Creek date to c.1715 and are among the oldest surviving buildings in
Hatboro. They are adjacent to another historic property, the c.1880
"White Billet" residence which played host to Amelia Earhart in the
1920s. All three structures are bank-owned and at risk of demolition
for a proposed Wawa, though concerned neighbors have gathered nearly
1000 signatures opposing this plan and seeking a preservation-minded
reuse of the properties. The Miller's House is currently occupied by a
popular spa; the mill itself is vacant. The White Billet 
(not
shown) is listed separately at $1.4 million. Potential uses include a
bed and breakfast, gallery, restaurant, or office space.
(not
shown) is listed separately at $1.4 million. Potential uses include a
bed and breakfast, gallery, restaurant, or office space.Contact: Philip Rothenberg, Jackson Cross
Added March 2012
Queen Village
125 League Street, Philadelphia
Listed at $428,000
This is an extremely rare surviving example of a Philadelphia woodframe clapboard house. Documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey and listed on both the Philadelphia and National Registers, the eighteenth-century post and beam structure features random-width pine flooring throughout, three fireplaces, and a chef's kitchen complemented by an award-winning garden.
Contact: Wolfram Petner
215-551-2567
Added November 2011
Germantown Town Hall
5928 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia
John P.B. Sinkler, 1923
Listed at $400,000
John P.B. Sinkler, 1923
Listed at $400,000
Modeled after William Strickland's Merchant Exchange Bank at 3rd and Walnut Streets, this three-story, 28,000 sq. ft. building is listed on both the Philadelphia and National Registers of Historic Places and is eligible for low interest financing and historic tax credits. It is zoned C-2 Commercial and includes on-site parking. Owned by the City of Philadelphia, the building is vacant and seeking new life as an anchor to one of the city's most historic neighborhoods.
Contact Liz Gabor, PIDC
215-496-8142
Click here for more information
Added April 2011
Engine House #29
1221-25 N. 4th Street, Philadelphia
John T. Windrim, 1894
Listed at $1,000,000
1221-25 N. 4th Street, Philadelphia
John T. Windrim, 1894
Listed at $1,000,000
This former Northern Liberties fire station, listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, was likely designed by famed Philadelphia architect John T. Windrim. Zoned L4 Light Industrial, the 14,400 sq. ft. building is owned by the City of Philadelphia and is currently vacant. Low interest financing is available for commercial/industrial use.
Contact: Liz Gabor, PIDC
215-496-8142
Click here for more information
Added April 2011
Harmon Steel House
Charleston Township, PA
Oskar Stonorov, 1946
Disassembled: Free for relocation and reassembly
Charleston Township, PA
Oskar Stonorov, 1946
Disassembled: Free for relocation and reassembly
Modernist architect Oskar Stonorov designed this prefabricated steel house as a prototype housing system for returning WWII veterans manufactured by Wilmington, DE-based Harman Corp. Constructed on family property in Chester County circa 1946, the house was disassembled in 2006 and is currently in storage.
Historic interior photos of Harmon Houses are included in the Library of Congress archives here.
Contact: Ben Leech, Preservation Alliance
215-546-1146 x5
Click here for more information
Added April 2011
Weise House
2935 Whitehall Road, East Norriton Township, Montgomery County, PA
Louis I. Kahn, 1947-1950
Listed at $995,000
A
1950 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal winner, this 2,400 sq. ft. 3 bed 3 bath Kahn design sits on 5.5 acres 18 miles west of Center City Philadelphia. This is the first house the architect designed after returning from a career-defining tour of the ruins of Italy, Greece and Egypt in the early 1950s.2935 Whitehall Road, East Norriton Township, Montgomery County, PA
Louis I. Kahn, 1947-1950
Listed at $995,000
Among its many charms is an original Kahn mural in the living room!
Contact: Tone Realty
610-272-3333
Click here for more information
Added April 2011
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