St. Joseph’s Pays $10 Million for Cardinal’s Residence

Pope John Paul II visited there. So did Ronald Reagan. Now the property at 5700 City Avenue—known as the Cardinal’s Residence—has been purchased by St. Joseph’s University for a cool $10 million, taking the property off the hands of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. Archbishop Charles Chaput said in January the church would sell the 16-room stone mansion, which has been home to Roman Catholic cardinals for more than 75 years—but had also come to be seen by some as a symbol of the church hierarchy’s “complacency and pride.” The school hasn’t figured out how it will use the property, though in the short term it may service as administrative offices. “As we look to the future, this opens exciting possibilities for the university community, and it will further enhance our students’ experience for decades to come,” said university president C. Kevin Gillespie. [Philadelphia Business Journal]