Unless you're a local history buff or an architecture enthusiast, you've probably never heard of the building now known as
Presser Senior Apartments, an historic structure at 101 West Johnson Street in Mt. Airy. It was commissioned in 1914 by the sheet music publisher
Theodore Presser, and interestingly enough, it was developed as a
home for retired music teachers.
Constructed of brick, limestone and terra cotta, the structure was one of only two in the world built specifically for retired music teachers. The other was Milan's
Casa di Riposo per Musicisti; following a trip to Italy, it inspired Presser to create something similar in Philadelphia.
In 2002, however, the 52,248 square-foot building became vacant, and although it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 2005, it nevertheless turned into something of a crumbling eyesore. Certainly, if not for its historic status, it would have been a perfect candidate for demolition. Instead, the building was acquired by the locally-based
Nolen Properties in 2006. Working with the architecture firm
JKR Partners, Nolen's resulting historic restoration was such a huge success that it won a 2011 Grand Jury Award from the
Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.
"The biggest challenge we had," said Rick Sudall, Nolen's director of operations, involved "converting 86 single rooms into 45 apartments." In the Presser Building's original form, its rooms contained only a closet and a sink; shared bathrooms were located down the hall. Following the year-long, multimillion dollar renovation, however, the new apartments now come complete with all mod cons.
Even better, historic preservation societies clearly aren't the only interested entities: As of this writing, Nolen has received some 300 applications for Presser's 45 units. And while new residents certainly don't have to be former music teachers, they do have to be median-income senior citizens. The lucky few will be moving in sometime over the next few months.
Source: Rick Sudall, Nolen Properties
Writer: Dan Eldridge
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