Archdiocese of Philadelphia Auctions off Several Properties
By Steve Tawa
An auctioneer has helped the Archdiocese of Philadelphia unload some properties, as the church takes more steps to reduce its financial deficit. They include a former school and two convents in Philadelphia and a parcel of land in the suburbs. The stout former St. Michael Business School on North Second Street in Old Kensington – with a stone facade and intricate woodwork on the inside – fetched $330,000, and is likely to be converted into condo use. Kyle Piasecki helped his mother-in-law bid $118,000 on the former Our Lady of Hope Convent on North 19th Street. “It’s three townhomes that were connected. The goal will be to break them down into three separate homes and flip them.” The former St. Bartholomew Convent on Harbison Avenue went for $220,000. They were parish properties owned by parishes, which will keep the proceeds, according to Archdiocese spokesman Kenneth Gavin. “Those funds will go right back to the parishes for their needs.” The Archdiocese sold a one acre lot in Rydal, Montgomery County, but rejected a $295,000 bid on a more than 29-acre lot in Harleysville, because it did not approach the appraised value of $625,000. Prior to the auction, the archdiocese accepted a cash offer of $850,000 for a 48-acre parcel in Plumstead, Bucks County.
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