408 Pine Street, my SWAP Homestead 1980-2000

In the late 1970s I realized it was time to buy a house. I did not have the income to support a mortgage but had done a lot of carpentry and thus thought I could renovate a house—seemingly the ideal SWAP homesteader candidate. A client advised me to visit Pine Street, which had a few historic houses left, many abandoned, and lots of vacant lots, prostitution, arson, and other urban ailments. I felt up to it and purchased #408 Pine Street, abandoned and in poor condition, with the help of SWAP’s director and guiding light, Getz Obstfeld and his partner, Francine Gerace. While waiting to close, I lived on the third floor of 439 Pine Street, which was partially renovated and into which SWAP moved their offices, where they remain 45 years later.  

The purchase price was about $2,600, which was almost the exact same price the house first sold for, in 1851, when new. A historic price for a historic house! I’m not sure who got the better deal; in 1851 the house was brand new and by 1980 it was much larger but in decrepit condition, with few windows and no functioning plumbing, heating or electricity. I moved in anyway and improvised these services for the next 20 years, using a wood stove for heat.

The problem was that I turned out not be a good homesteader. Busy with completing my education, community service, entering my profession as an architect, and remaining low-income, I never found the time or energy to renovate the house though I did purchase the two adjoining vacant lots ($500 apiece!) and created a wonderful yard. Finally the Zoning Board caught up with me, sending me an ultimatum either to renovate the house or sell it to someone who could. Realizing that I wouldn’t come up with the money, then estimated at $100,000, I chose the latter, and sold the house and two lots, for $25,000, with the help of Teresa Level, who then worked for BJ Dupre. The buyers were two young, energetic ladies who did a bang-up renovation and remain there to this day.

I decamped to a condo in the Mount Hope neighborhood, where I remain, contentedly. Unfortunately, too many of the early homesteaders were also unable to renovate their houses and SWAP pivoted to a new model where they renovated or built the houses themselves and made them available, for purchase or rental, to low-income families at a heavily discounted price.