{"id":1660,"date":"2026-06-27T11:41:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2026-06-27T11:41:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:41:29","slug":"the-historic-conkling-armstrong-house-in-north-philly-is-poised-for-affordable-redevelopment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"The historic Conkling-Armstrong House in North Philly is poised for affordable redevelopment"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div><audio><\/audio><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>They don\u2019t make them like the Conkling-Armstrong House anymore. They never really did \u2014 except this once. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=1658\">\ud83d\udcf5 HOA group chat drama | Morning Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Located at 2224-26 W. Tioga St., each of the two roughly 5,000-square-foot houses in this twin mansion are encrusted with terra-cotta flourishes that set them apart from their neighbors and from pretty much any other building in the city. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s because this almost 130-year-old mansion in North Philadelphia was built as a towering advertisement for what the Conkling-Armstrong Terra Cotta Co. could offer late-19th-century developers and architects. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>They studded it with beautiful decorations and elaborate details to demonstrate what their products could look like on future buildings. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>When this one-of-a-kind house was built in 1898, the company\u2019s factory stood mere blocks away. Now it is gone, demolished in 2011, and the house itself hasn\u2019t been occupied in even longer. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>That period of vacancy will end soon, if local affordable housing developer Brian Wise gets his way. He\u2019s already invested almost $1 million in bringing the Conkling-Armstrong house back from the brink of demolition. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhen we first had the property, we could not even walk through it,\u201d said Wise, managing partner of Wise Holding Group LLC. \u201cThere was so much deterioration from the roof all the way down to the basement.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Wise plans to build 12 apartments in the twin buildings and another 12 in two additions behind the twins, each over 4,000 square feet. They will extend into the vacant lot behind the Conkling-Armstrong house, fronting on Estaugh Street. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The plan is to lease most of the units to tenants who use rent vouchers from the Philadelphia Housing Authority. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty ambitious job to do and something that will be a challenge, but sometimes we like challenges,\u201d Wise said. \u201cWe\u2019ll do everything we can to keep the building stabilized and bring it back to its original form, especially the exterior.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Earlier this month, the city\u2019s Zoning Board of Adjustment gave Wise the go-ahead to begin the project. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis is one of these projects that you\u2019ll remember over the course of your career,\u201d Wise\u2019s attorney, Alan Nochumson, said in his pitch to board members to preserve the building. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Wise needed permission to build beyond the allowable density on the site, arguing that the rents from additional units were the only way to make the project economically feasible. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>His case was supported by two local community groups, the Allegheny West Civic Association and the Swampoodle Neighborhood Parcels Association.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=1656\">Haverford parents are worried about chatbots in classrooms after a vote to buy AI tools<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Wise anticipates an 18-month to two-year timeline, given the final Historical Commission approvals he needs. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Wise originally came to this block of West Tioga Street to try to buy one of the other venerable, if less ornamented, stone twin houses on the block. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>He decided against that purchase, but while he was in the neighborhood, he noticed the intricate design and decoration of the Conkling-Armstrong House, as well as its dilapidated state. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>After acquiring the building, Wise considered demolishing it. But the Conkling-Armstrong House is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, which makes razing it a challenge. Instead, the developer decided to embark on his first adaptive reuse proposal. He needs a final Historical Commission approval to begin construction.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMy first impression, obviously, was that the architectural nature of the property was unique,\u201d Wise said. \u201cIt was something that we weren\u2019t used to seeing \u2026 so instead of knocking it down, we said let\u2019s try to bring this building back to life.\u201d <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>At the zoning board, Wise faced questions from commissioners who wanted him to add a porch to the new addition facing Estaugh Street, which he promised to do. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The new buildings behind the Conkling-Armstrong house will be more modest, with a design that echoes other houses in the neighborhood. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe decided that trying to match all of these ornate features of the front building is not a tenable solution,\u201d said Matt Masterpasqua of the Mass Architecture Studio, which is designing the project. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cSo we tried to take context from the rear street, as well as some of the more modest neighboring buildings to inspire our new design,\u201d Masterpasqua said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little more feasible for us to construct.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>He anticipates the redevelopment of the Conkling-Armstrong Terra Cotta Co.\u2019s house-and-showroom will cost at least $3 million, but he could be aided by federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The company\u2019s historical legacy in Philadelphia includes ornamenting such structures as the Witherspoon building and the former Curtis publishing house. Like many historically protected gems, those buildings are in Center City, not residential North Philadelphia. <\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt was a showcase for the capabilities of their company, but it\u2019s also just really an incredible building,\u201d Masterpasqua said. \u201cIt\u2019s really great to be part of something that\u2019s going to be able to salvage the neighborhood and this piece of architecture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate-movers-usa.com\/?p=1654\">Ghana\u2019s return to the region is its first since becoming a part of Philly soccer lore nearly 15 years ago<\/a><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of Philadelphia&#8217;s unique buildings will be renovated and expanded to offer 24 apartments in North Philadelphia. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing","category-real-estate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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