U. City Saturday event highlights realty gems

Local residents and business owners joined forces this weekend for the sixth-annual University City Saturday open house. The event -- sponsored by the University City Promotions Group -- featured a tour of University City houses that are currently for sale. During the open house -- which ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday -- more than 70 houses were showcased to highlight the neighborhood's charm. "This way people can tour the houses without feeling pressured," explained John Schnepp, chairperson of the University City Promotions Group. "The main goal of this event is to sell houses in the neighborhood and get the neighbors to help," he added. The open house was headquartered at the St. Francis de Sales School at 917 S. 47th Street. In addition to tours of the houses, the event offered an information fair attended by community groups, schools, realtors, mortgage companies and area businesses. Representatives from Penn's University Mortgage Plan -- which offers loans to University employees who decide to live in the area -- were also on hand at the fair. More than 14,000 people have participated in the mortgage plan since it began 30 years ago, according to Associate Treasurer for Cash Management D.L. Wormley. Wormley, who coordinates the mortgage plan, said that she was encouraged by the large number of prospective buyers at the fair. "University City is incredibly valuable and there is a real sense of neighborhood," said Wormley, who has lived in the area for 13 years. "If you are committed to living in the city and are not living in University City, you are missing out." A new organization, Philadelphia on the West Side, also participated in the fair. The group -- which held its first official event Saturday night -- is a collaborative effort between area restaurant owners and cultural and community organizations designed to promote West Philadelphia. "People associate West Philadelphia with negative things," said Barry Grossback, a West Side representative. "This concept promotes activity in the community to get others to see how people who live here see it." State Rep. Jim Roebuck, a 25-year University City resident, was on-hand to answer questions about the neighborhood. He stressed that University City is comprised of "good, solid neighborhoods" with a commitment to urban life. Karen Fortune, a Squirrel Hill Civil Association board member, added that University City has many hidden treasures -- including Victorian architecture, a variety of restaurants and active community groups. Noting that last year's event drew about 300 people, Schnepp said he was hoping for about the same turnout this year -- despite the rainy weather that made the morning portion of the fair slower than last year. Aya Purnell, a 12-year University City resident, attended the fair to find information about buying a new house. "The fair is a nice venture to expose different services and houses available in the area," she said. "It is one-stop shopping."