Allison Hill Apartments I & II
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Contact Information

Description

• First Phase 27 units in 20 buildings Placed in service in 1993
• Second Phase 29 units in 8 buildings.
  Placed in service in 2000
• Affordable town homes for families
• 2, 3, and 4-bedroom apartments

2001 Historic Harrisburg Associates Preservation Award

Developer
Pennrose Properties

Phase I Architect
Martin L. Murray & Associates
Harrisburg, PA

Phase II Architect
Stuart and LeFever Architects
Lancaster, PA

Phase I General Contractor
Penncrest Construction Corporation
Lancaster, PA

Phase II General Contractor
Coldwell, Heckles and Egan, Inc
Lancaster, PA

Management
Pennrose Management Co.

The Challenge

When in 1981 Harrisburg was ranked as the second most distressed city in the nation, its leaders initiated a massive rehabilitation effort to generate a dramatic economic resurgence.    The rehabilitation of tough neighborhoods such as Allison Hill was an essential component of their plan.   Its late nineteenth and early twentieth century homes of wealthy industrialists stood within Mount Pleasant, an historic district placed on the National Register in 1985.   Abandoned or in complete disrepair, they were a detriment to the city's ability to be a desirable place to live, work, and relax.   When the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency approved   a funding package for the construction and rehabilitation of scattered homes on Derry and South Streets, Pennrose was asked to be the developer because of our previously demonstrated success in revitalizing historic neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The Solution

Recognizing that there was an urgent need to provide housing that would promote community development and economic renewal, Pennrose worked with community groups to develop in two distinct phases the scattered site. The development   team worked with preservation architects to historically restore where ever possible those structures that were sound and to build where ever necessary new structures that would integrate seamlessly into an historic neighborhood.   The first phase placed in service in 1993 produced for families 27 affordable units in 20 buildings. The second phase placed in service in 2000 produced for families 29 affordable units in 8 buildings. Included among the two one-bedroom, 15 two-bedroom, 7 three-bedroom, four four-bedroom and one five-bedroom rental units are three apartments for persons with disabilities.   They received the 2001 Historic Harrisburg Associates Preservation Award.  

Twenty-five years since Harrisburg's nadir, nearly $3 billion in new investment has now been realized.   Pennrose's two-phase Allison Hill development underscores the importance of sustained effort to achieve positive community renewal results.   Revitalization takes time and commitment. Pennrose continues to own, manage, and maintain these handsome properties.

< Historic Rehabilitation
< Pennsylvania Properties