Pittsburghers enjoy the unique pleasure of claiming they live in Mister Rogers’ neighborhood. Few can claim to live in his home. Coldwell Banker is selling the 3,693-square foot home that Fred Rogers and Joanne Rogers lived in during the 1960s. Zillow listed the home at 5381 Northumberland St., Squirrel hill last Thursday for $850,000. Built in 1921, the home has five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The home boasts two fireplaces and two sets of French doors. There is also a beautiful library in the dining area.
Coldwell Banker Real estate Agent Linda Corcoran added a birth announcement from John, the youngest child of the couple, to the listing. Linda was a Coldwell Banker agent. Linda and Fred met at Rollins College in Florida. The publication lists the address as the home.
Seller Allison Shin has lived in the house for 10 years. She told Corcoran she heard Fred Rogers once owned it, but had never seen any proof. One photo of Fred Rogers standing before a house similar to hers was found in a magazine. Shin was told by a neighbor that Rogers used to put on puppet shows at the Northumberland home for children. Corcoran stated, “That was always his passion.” He was the same off-set as he was on-set.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Rogers was a composer, organist, and puppeteer for “The Children’s Corner” on WQED. This program introduced viewers to Henrietta Pussycat and Daniel Striped Tiger. This was also the time that Mr. Rogers received his degree at The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1963 as a Presbyterian minister.Mr. Rogers hosted “Misterogers” in Canada for a few years. In 1966, the family moved to a brick house at 1300 Beechwood Boulevard. The couple moved into an Ellsworth Avenue apartment in the 1980s, after their sons John & James had grown up. Fred Rogers passed away in 2003. Joanne Rogers died in January.
Are you interested in other sites about Fred Rogers? Visit PA’s Fred Rogers Trail. Latrobe has many stops, including his alma mater and his grave. Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center contains the largest collection original items from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” television series. It also houses the 10-foot tall “Tribute to Children” statue on the North Shore.
Mister Rogers has new neighbors
They are actually living in Mister Rogers’ former home. The Squirrel Hill house on Northumberland Street was recently bought by a family for $866,000. It was home to Pittsburgh’s beloved Fred Rogers, WQED’s “Mister Rogers Neighborhood”, and his wife Joanne. Todd Kilgore of Piatt Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyers and said, “I am so happy to be of service to this young family.” “My clients are wonderful. Fred and Joanne Rogers showed a lot love to that house.
According to the owners, who did not wish to be identified, the house has all they needed, including more space and a convenient location close to work and school. Kilgore stated that the house attracted a lot of attention after news was published the house was put on the market. He said that he witnessed several people driving by the house to take photos as it was being inspected. It has five bedrooms and is almost 4,000 square feet. It features a renovated kitchen, three-and-a half bathrooms, and a spacious living room.
Kilgore wanted to gift the new owners a present. Jennifer Kilgore, his wife and a board member of The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh asked him to contact the Fred Rogers Center in Latrobe. The staff gave Jennifer a card with a photograph of the Rogers house. He framed it. The photo is now hanging in the library. Todd Kilgore claimed that he met Joanne Rogers once at a Children’s Museum function. He said, “She was such an amazing person.” You could see that she was a caring person. Joanne and Fred Rogers were so important to Pittsburgh. It was an honor to be a part of the sale their beloved home.
Rogers lived there from the 1960s onwards. Built in 1920, the home is now a museum. It was Rogers’ home, which the current owners didn’t discover until the final stages of the sale. They first saw Fred Rogers’ story on PBS when they moved to Pittsburgh. They have been searching for a larger home for the past two years and more aggressively for the past six months.
