Affordable Live/Work Spaces For Artists in West Philadelphia

4050 Apartments (4050 Haverford Avenue) in West Philadelphia, is a residential project for low-income artists. It is a product of People’s Emergency Center’s commitment to the arts in the West Philadelphia community.  Anyone may apply for an apartment, but there is a preference for working artists who are at any point in their career.

This three-story building contains 20 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Residents will have access to a community room on the ground floor that will also be a site for arts and educational programming open to the public. The units themselves will include amenities that are conducive for art-making: flexible open layouts, natural light, and high ceilings. In addition to rental units, the project will have a community room that prominently faces the street with space to accommodate workshops and exhibitions.

Applicants to the 4050 Apartments must qualify under the income guidelines set forth by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Applicants wishing to qualify for the artist preference will be required to submit the documentation outlined below and be interviewed by a panel of PEC staff and local artists.

Applications must...

• Demonstrate that they have been a working artist for at least one year in any variety of artistic genres

• Have a clearly written statement of their long- and short-term artistic goals and how they plan to achieve them. 200-word limit.

• Come to their interview with a body of work containing a minimum of 10 artistic pieces created in the last year

• Provide 3 professional references

• Be aware that they may be asked to exhibit their artistic practice in the 4050 Apartments community room

The 4050 Apartments are located just off of Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia. Lower Lancaster Avenue is home to the second largest community of artists in Philadelphia who have long been attracted to the area by its stock of affordable housing, public transit availability, active arts groups, and close proximity to galleries and educational institutions. With current housing costs rising to levels that could push out lower-income artists, 4050 Apartments aims to preserve an important part of what defines the Lower Lancaster Avenue community.

Interested applicants should visit pechousing.com or contact Trina Wallace at twallace@pec-cares.org and 267-777-5832.