Developer: 1260 Housing Development Corp.

Architect: Kramer Marks Architects

Major Funders: Enterprise Community Investment, Inc.; Beneficial Bank; Department of Housing and Urban Development; Federal Home Loan Bank of New York; Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh; Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency; Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; Philadelphia Housing Authority

Only blocks from Temple University in north Philadelphia, 1260 Housing Development Corp. has brought 98 units of housing back to their original glory but with the green technology of the 21st century.

The homes on the 1700 block of North 16th Street and the 1500 block of North Gratz Street were originally built in the 1860s as single-family dwellings for the middle and upper-middle class. They later were turned into affordable housing, and over the years the buildings had fallen into disrepair.

“We were able to preserve an inventory of housing in the middle of a gentrified area for people who don't have enough resources and who wouldn't otherwise have the financial resources to live there,” says Alfredo de la Peña, executive director of Columbus Property Management and Development, Inc., the property management affiliate of developer 1260 Housing. “They now have the opportunity to live there for another 30 years.”

Temple I and Temple II, with a total development cost of $34.9 million, are the largest gut rehabilitations to be certified under the LEED program, earning Gold and Platinum, respectively.

In addition to restoring the building's architectural details, the development team also added appliances, water-saving plumbing fixtures, sealed ductwork, and extra insulation in the walls to create energy-efficient housing to reduce residents' utility bills.