PITTSBURGH (NEXSTAR) – Ever dream of living in Mister Rogers’ neighborhood? How about living in the actual home that once belonged to the beloved television host?
The 5-bedroom, 3-bathroom Squirrel Hill home on Pittsburgh’s East End is listed for $850,000 through Coldwell Banker.
Listing agent Linda Corcoran said “there were multiple offers,” which she attributed to the hot market and desirable location, but not necessarily the unique history of the 3,693-square-foot home at 5381 Northumberland St. Corcoran said an offer has been accepted but the deal isn’t final pending contingencies that have to be met.
“Two sets of French doors adorn the spacious living room that opens onto the front porch,” the listing reads. “The calming wall colors and painted molding offer an ideal place to relax, entertain and the high ceilings and large openings on the first floor create space and flow.”
Along with photos of the “charming and functional house” Corcoran included in the listing a clipping given to her by the seller that proved what the woman had long been told – that Fred Rogers and his wife Joanne Rogers were previous owners. The proof is from a birth announcement in a 1961 Rollins College alumni magazine announcing the birth of their second son, John Frederick, and their home address.
Corcoran said that longtime residents living in some nearby townhouses remembered Rogers and said that he used to put on puppet shows for the neighborhood children.
Rogers was even said to have called 5381 Northumberland “his favorite house,” a neighbor told the seller while recounting a visit from a biographer writing about the minister and TV star’s life.
After graduating from Rollins where he studied music composition, Fred Rogers started a television career in New York City but returned to Pittsburgh to help found WQED, according to the official site of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
He launched “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 1966, creating and hosting all 895 episodes. He also composed its more than 200 songs and created 14 characters, which he brought to life with puppets.
Rogers believed deeply in public television and the medium’s ability to transform how the world thinks of children and they of themselves. He famously offered this testimony at a Senate Subcommittee on Communications in 1969:
He died in 2003 and is survived by his two children. His wife, Joanne, died in January of 2021 at the age of 92.
