Mister Rogers’ former home is up for sale for $850,000

By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer
Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

    Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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    It’s not in the neighborhood of make-believe, but the place Mister Rogers of children’s TV fame called home is on the market.

    Realtor.com has posted a listing for the house at 5381 Northumberland St., in Pittsburgh. The brick dwelling is a five-bedroom, 3.5-bath home that covers 3,693 square feet. It was built in 1921, and the listing price is $850,000.

    Fred and his wife, Joanne, lived in that home during the late 1950s and ’60s. Rogers called it his “favorite house” in one biography.

    The abode is three stories tall with two fireplaces and a gym, in addition to a family room. And yes, the neighborhood is beautiful.

    But Pittsburgh, like the rest of the country, is in the midst of a real estate crunch. Demand for homes is outstripping supply by a wide margin—and the former Rogers home is already listed as contingent.

    Home prices have been climbing steadily over the past few months, and industry insiders expect they are likely to peak in some markets this fall. That could cause a slowdown in the market.

    Fred Rogers died in 2003, and Joanne passed away in January of this year. His namesake children’s show—Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood—and the Mister Rogers brand have seen a resurgence in the past several years with the release of a hit documentary film, a big-screen portrayal by Tom Hanks, and a PBS documentary. Rogers has also been honored on a U.S. stamp.

    Classic episodes of the show are uploaded regularly to MisterRogers.org.

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