You know it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood when a house once owned by Mr. Rogers himself hits the market.
Located at 5381 Northumberland St., the Pittsburgh property is on the market for $850,000. While it has long since switched hands between different owners, Fred Rogers and his wife Joanne lived in the 3,700-square-foot century-old brick house in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The five-bedroom, three-bathroom house has a cheery yellow front door that opens into a spacious foyer that leads to the living room and kitchen. There are two fireplaces, a large dining room, and an eat-in kitchen, as well as front patio and a large backyard with a basketball hoop and a driveway leading onto a two-car garage.
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Current owner Allison Shin lived in the house for the last 10 years before deciding to downsize and put it on the market. She had, according to a local Pittsburgh news blog, heard rumors that Mr. and Mrs. Rogers had once lived in the property but did not know specifics.
The iconic children’s television host, author and producer was living in the property with his growing family when he was working on The Children’s Corner at WQED and just rising to local and later national recognition in the 1960s. In the listing photos, Coldwell Banker real estate agent Linda Corcoran included a newspaper clipping announcing the birth of the Rogers’ son John that listed 5381 Northumberland St. as their home address.
Realtor.com
Not long after the couple moved away from the house, Rogers had started to host Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood — a beloved children’s program that ran on WQED for many than 30 years. While the old house had nothing to do with the show, the front porch looks similar to the one on which Mr. Rogers would sometimes sit as he talked to a children’s audience about various topics.