WinnCos. Buys Historic Housing Complex in Philadelphia, Plans $23.7M Renovation

PHILADELPHIA — WinnCos., a developer and operator of affordable and market-rate housing, has purchased Carl Mackley Houses, a historic housing complex in Philadelphia, with plans to implement a $23.7 million renovation. The property, which is located on the city’s northeast side and currently houses 184 affordable housing units, originally opened during the Great Depression era. Named for Carl Mackley, a 22-year-old union worker who was shot and killed on March 6, 1930 while supporting a strike at the H.C. Aberle Co., the complex earned a spot on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1982 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The rehabilitation effort will modernize apartment kitchens and bathrooms in four residential buildings; install central air conditioning in all units; replace all windows and roofs; and upgrade common areas. The project is being financed primarily by tax-exempt bond financing and an allocation of 4 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.