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Greater Grays Ferry Estates 14Table of ContentsMessage from the Executive Director 2Cambridge Plaza 10PHA — Giant Steps 20PHA New Look Sites Map 3Mount Olivet Village 12Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza 228 Diamonds Townhouse Apartments 4Norman Blumberg Apartments 13Courtyard Apartments at Riverview 24Raymond Rosen Manor 5Greater Grays Ferry Estates 14Fairhill 25Richard Allen Homes 6Wilson Park 16Lucien E. Blackwell Homes 26Whitehall Apartments 8Abbottsford Homes 17117 New Homes 28Suffolk Manor Apartments 9Falls Ridge 181

Whitehall Apartments 8BuildingBeyondSuffolk Manor Apartments 98 Diamonds Townhouse Apartments 4ExpectationsIf a picture is worth a thousand words, you may lose countreading this brochure. As you leaf through the pages, you willsee amazing illustrations of recent changes in public housingin Philadelphia. We have compared the archaic concepts ofpublic housing of yesterday, to the quality low-densitydevelopments PHA builds and manages today. These arecommunities people want to live in. They are environmentsthat build a sense of pride for residents who are compelledto maintain their surroundings.Raymond Rosen Manor 5Abbottsford Homes 17Falls Ridge 18Norman Blumberg Apartments 13Lucien E. Blackwell Homes 26What you see in this book is a result of the planning andimplementation of a multi-year, billion-dollar constructionCarl R. Greene,program. PHA is systematically resurrecting what wereExecutive DirectorPhiladelphia’s most blighted neighborhoods. We have madeefficient use of our federal funding, which we have leveragedwith significant private investments. PHA is working at an unprecedented pace,developing major projects in several communities simultaneously.Mount Olivet Village 12Fairhill 25Richard Allen Homes 6Cambridge Plaza 10Greater Grays Ferry Estates 14The design of our new housing is tailored to each neighborhood. At the MartinLuther King development, PHA is building Victorian style housing to blend in withthe historic architecture of South Philadelphia. At Richard Allen Homes we havebuilt modern suburban style housing to reflect the rebirth of North Philadelphia.PHA properties are developed with strict guidelines and are built within budget,completed on or before schedule.Wilson Park 16Conventional SitesCourtyard Apartments at Riverview 24PHA’s 2000 employees have one overriding goal — to raise the quality of life forour customers and the citizens in the surrounding communities. Building,modernizing and managing affordable housing at the highest possible standard isthe only outcome we will accept.Scattered Sites (117 New Homes 28)“We are building 6,000 homes — 3,000 are brand new and 3,000 totally renovated.The incredible change is captured in this brochure. Each page reflects our view ofhow affordable housing can and should look, as PHA continues living up to ourmotto — Building Beyond Expectations.Richard Allen Homes 6Cambridge Plaza 102PHA New Look SitesMartin Luther King Jr. Plaza 22”We know that the developments thatwe own, build and manage have animmediate and powerful impact onthe quality of life in the city.3

8DiamondsNorth Philadelphia152 units48 Diamonds Townhouse Apartments is thename of a sparkling, new developmentcovering eight city blocks in NorthPhiladelphia. The area stretches between20th and Van Pelt Streets and Cecil B.Moore Avenue and Diamond Street.The construction of “8 Diamonds”marked the first time that PHA built homesoutside one of its own developments. PHAhas invested 27 million building 152modern, attractive townhouses that havethree, four and five bedrooms. The townhouse homes are beautiful and offer lots ofspace for families with easy access topublic transportation, Temple University andCenter City. The new homes feature central air conditioning, off-street parking andgreen space, a dramatic change fromRaymondRosenwhat was once a drab, cramped neighborhood. Interstate Realty Management, aprivate firm, manages this development.“8 Diamonds” is the third and finalphase of a plan that transformed the oldRaymond Rosen property and the areanear it. A neighborhood that was once aboarded up slum has become an attractive, desirable area.PHA has invested 76 million in theredevelopment of the site now known asRaymond Rosen Manor. It is one of thelargest and oldest developments ownedby PHA and the site of one of the mostextensive public housing renovations inthe United States.The new development replaced theold Raymond Rosen Apartments thatcomprised over 1100 apartments ineight high-rise buildings and another 58in low-rise buildings. PHA imploded thehigh-rises in 1995.The first phase of renovation involvedthe exterior of 308 apartments. Theyreceived new roofs, gutters, windows,siding and electrical upgrades. The outside lighting was improved for bettersecurity. During the second phase, newkitchen and bathroom appliances,washer/dryer connections, new heatingsystems, and new interior and exteriordoors were installed.In addition, 47 new housing unitswere built on the site.The redevelopment of RaymondRosen is a shining example of how PHAhas reclaimed a neighborhood andturned it into a vibrant, livable and safecommunity.North Philadelphia553 units5

RichardAllenThe final phase of the beautiful new RichardAllen Homes opened in March 2003.The opening of this phase of the development was also a homecoming for threeprominent Philadelphians who grew upin the original development: comedianBill Cosby, City Councilwoman JannieBlackwell, and public relations executiveBruce Crawley.People living at the new Richard Allenhave much more living space. PHAreplaced multi-family buildings with multibedroom townhouses spread over alarger area. Each set of townhouses hasprivate yards, additional open green spaceand off-street parking.The redevelopment of Richard Allenincludes a new five-story, 80-unit complex“6Back in the 1990’s we determinedthat traditional public housingwasn’t working, so we changedour approach. Richard Allen isevidence of that change.”North Philadelphia408 units16,000 square footcommunity centerfor seniors. Residents also benefit from anew healthcare clinic and 16,000 squarefoot community center that serve not onlyRichard Allen, but the entire neighborhood.The Community Center, named forMayor John F. Street, sits in the center of abeautiful town square.

WhitehallNortheast Philadelphia258 units8The modernization of Whitehall Apartmentsin Northeast Philadelphia will make thecomplex sparkle and improve the neighborhood. The senior citizens who reside therewill enjoy the amenities and have moreliving space.There are three phases for this project. Inthe first phase, 131 townhouse units receivednew kitchens, baths, piping and drain lines,heating and cooling systems, and newelectric panels and wiring. Crews removedlead-based paint and asbestos. They put anew drywall finish on the walls and ceilings,laid new floor tile, and replaced all doors inthe complex.Fourteen efficiency units were convertedinto seven two-bedroom units. One of theSuffolkManortownhouse units was converted into a computer lab, allowing seniors to stay in touchmore easily with their family and friends. Andthere’s a lot more to come in the next twophases of modernization, covering 127 units.Whitehall Apartments will become theenvy of other retirement communities.Suffolk Manor Apartments are an awardwinning historic property located in theOlney section of Philadelphia. The complexcontains five six-story buildings whichhouse both seniors and families.PHA acquired Suffolk Manor from anaffiliate of the Philadelphia RedevelopmentAuthority, then obtained historic designationfor the development from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the NationalPark Service. In turn, PHA was able toobtain historic tax credits that contributedto the funding used to rehabilitate andremodel the site.Suffolk Manor’s redevelopment includes:new plumbing and electrical systems; newheating and cooling systems; new kitchens;new enlarged automatic elevators; cable TVhookups; security monitoring and entrancesystems. We installed new plumbing fixturestoo, but some old fixtures remained due totheir historic value.Suffolk Manor is convenient for residentsto catch a ride on the regional rail, the BroadStreet subway or the bus. Stores and otherservices are within walking distance.North Philadelphia(Olney section)137 units9

CambridgeFor years, residents of Cambridge Plazawere cut off from the rest of Philadelphia,and from the services and infrastructureprovided to other city dwellers. Their neighborhood, filled with empty, distressed buildings, was anything but safe and comfortable.The site between 10th and 12th Streets,Girard Avenue and Poplar Street wascrowded and contained 372 apartments,largely concentrated in two antiquated highrise buildings.PlazaThe new Cambridge Plaza relievescrowding and brightens the neighborhood.It features just 124 homes, a reduction oftwo-thirds from the original site that wasdeveloped in 1957. A family-friendlyatmosphere has been created becauseCambridge Plaza has 3, 4 and 5 bedroomhomes to accommodate larger families.Several homes are designed for people withmobility, hearing and visual impairments.A new tennis facility has opened nearbyon Girard Avenue, making the developmenteven more appealing,Cambridge Plaza is safer, too, with newlighting, streets and sidewalks. Residentsalso benefit from the installation of newwater, sewer, electrical, and other utility lines.PHA will have invested about 34 millionwhen redevelopment is complete. Thebreathtaking design of these homes makesthis a community people are proud to live in.North Philadelphia124 units10“The new homes at CambridgePlaza demonstrate that thewords gorgeous and affordablehousing can be used in thesame sentence.”

Mt.OlivetWest Philadelphia161 units12Sometimes less is more. And that’s thecase with Mount Olivet Village in WestPhiladelphia, where there will soon be fewerbut more spacious apartments.Mount Olivet Village was built in 1967from collections at the neighboring MountOlivet Tabernacle Baptist Church. Most ofthe apartments were efficiencies andbecame obsolete over the years.PHA obtained the property from U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD) in September 2002. Amulti-million dollar renovation of MountOlivet began in June 2003.PHA has reduced the available number ofapartments to offer seniors more spacewhere they live. One hundred twenty-twostudio apartments have been convertedinto 61 one-bedroom units. Other apartments have been created or enlarged byNormanBlumbergtaking advantage of unused storage space.The change increases the number of onebedroom apartments to 151 to go alongwith 10 two-bedroom units.Mount Olivet will also receive new hotwater heaters and new roofs. The development already features a day care facility, acommunity center, a senior center, andoffice management space.PHA still has some attractive high-risecomplexes in its portfolio, and one of themis the Norman Blumberg Apartments inNorth Philadelphia. This site, which includes15 low-rise buildings, has gone throughthree phases of modernization.PHA has invested over 60 million dollarsto give residents a more pleasant place tolive. The kitchens, bathrooms, floors, wallsand ceilings, and the common areas allunderwent complete renovation. A newlaundromat was built. Forty-six efficiencyunits in one of the towers occupied byseniors were converted to one-bedroom units.Security at the Blumberg Apartmentsimproved with construction of a new,secured entrance, and installation of amagnetic card system. Also, residents nowcontrol who enters their buildings by use ofa paging system from the guardhouse. Thenew security measures have lowered crimeat this site.PHA’s modernization of the complex ispart of a larger plan to reverse the decline ofneighborhoods in North Philadelphia.North Philadelphia510 units13