Just south of the Gayborhood, another popular place for LGBT people to live is emerging.
Over the last couple years, Gaurav Gambhir, principal at The Condo Shop, said he’s seen one of his buildings at Broad and South streets attract a growing number of LGBT residents.
Gambhir said about half the people living at 1352 Lofts are gay men or lesbians. The building has 72 units, with about 50 taken.
Gambhir said residents do not have to identify their sexual orientation on any rental or purchase paperwork, but he personally knows most of them. He called 1352 Lofts a “tight community.”
The Mazzoni Center also plans a move to the neighborhood next summer with a building at Broad and Bainbridge streets. The center will consolidate its medical practice and operations like counseling, legal services, a food bank and housing program. The Washington West Project will remain in the Gayborhood.
“I think it’s a natural progression of the Gayborhood,” Gambhir said. “I think the LGBT community has been expanding and growing. They have been moving further south than north.”
He said people are drawn south because there is more new construction, while still being close to the restaurants, shopping and cultural amenities of the Gayborhood and Rittenhouse Square.
Nurit Shein, CEO of Mazzoni, said her organization found the neighborhood appealing because Broad Street is an iconic Philadelphia location and has a confluence of public transportation.
“When we talked to our clients and supporters, they all agreed this was the perfect place,” she said. “We made connections with the neighborhood association and they were very happy to hear we were moving.”
Shein said she expects more LGBT businesses will migrate down the 12th Street corridor once Mazzoni becomes a visible anchor for the LGBT community in the area.
“The neighborhood is really expanding and growing,” Shein said. “You can see it’s energetic and has diversity with the old neighbors and the new people moving in.”
Bart Blatstein is developing a mixed-use space at Broad Street and Washington Avenue with 1,000 residential units and space for several major retailers that’s expected to bring hundreds more to the neighborhood.
Gambhir said the real-estate market has rebounded faster than other sectors of the economy since the recession. Units in 1352 Lofts are meant to be owned and have anywhere from 1,400 to 2,300 square feet.
“That’s a home in itself,” Gambhir said. “We started getting a lot of feedback from the LGBT community because we’re not a traditional two-bedroom space.”
The lofts have 20-foot-high ceilings, floor-length windows and balconies. They come with a price tag in the half-million-dollar range.
“It’s a good investment for couples moving in together,” Gambhir said.