The Delaware Affordable Housing Group, the nonprofit entity of the Wilmington Housing Authority, announced it has purchased the former Elwyn Building, in Wilmington. The acquisition was finalized in July for a nominal amount: $10.
In a statement, Ray Fitzgerald, former director of the Delaware Division of Social Services and current executive director of the Wilmington Housing Authority, said the 64,000 square feet of office space will house private businesses and community organizations that will offer services such as access to healthcare, food and banking, as well as information and resources on homeownership and housing.
The Elwyn building had been owned and occupied by the Pennsylvania-based Elwyn, a nonprofit that has been providing care to people with developmental and behavioral health challenges since 1852. The organization opened the Wilmington location in 1974 to provide support services to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Adult day care services for seniors were also provided. A casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Elwyn site closed in 2022 due to a lack of staff.
Located at 321 E. 11th St. on Wilmington’s Eastside neighborhood, renovations on the four-story building will begin in September to transform it into a modern and inclusive office space.
Planned improvements include:
- a new roof
- redesigned floor plans
- elevator upgrades
- enhanced cable infrastructure for high-speed internet access
- advanced security and fire systems
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The Wilmington Housing Authority is a quasi-government, local entity of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Delaware Affordable Housing Group is the Wilmington Housing Authority’s nonprofit arm created to access resources not available to the housing authority.
The building is 75% leased. The anticipated move-in date for lessees is January 2024.
Contact reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com. Join her on the Facebook group Delaware Voices Uplifted. Support her work and become a subscriber.
