Advocacy Archive
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Castleway Project/19th & Walnut
Dilworth House -- Society Hill
Project: Proposal to demolish rear half of the residence of former Mayor Richardson Dilworth in order to build a 16-story condominium.
Current Status: In September 2008, the L&I Board of Review sustained the appeal brought by the Society Hill Civic Association and adjacent neighbors, preventing demolition of one half of the structure. The developer has appealed to the Court of Common Pleas.
Background: The Dilworth house is the home of former Mayor Richardson Dilworth and his wife, located at 223-225 South 6th Street across from Washington Square. Since 2005, John and Mary Turchi, the current owners of the Dilworth House, have been seeking permission to demolish or substantially alter the property in order to build a condominium project designed by Venturi Scott Brown & Associates. The Preservation Alliance, the Society Hill Civic Association and condominium associations adjacent to the site have opposed demolition or alteration of the property, which is listed as significant in the Society Hill Historic District.
In 2006, the owners presented a new design to the Historical Commission that proposed retaining the front portion of the house and demolishing the rear wing—slightly less than 50% of the building—to accommodate a 16-story condominium. Several of the lower floors of the condominium tower would provide expansion space for the adjacent Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Representatives of the developer argued that the proposed demolition of the rear wing should be considered as an “alteration” and therefore not have to meet the tests for demolition of historic properties in the City’s ordinance. The Commission gave conceptual approval to the plans and the proposed demolition at its September 2006 meeting. Immediately thereafter, the Preservation Alliance, the Society Hill Civic Association and a group of adjacent neighbors filed appeals with the City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections Review Board. The organization Save Dilworth Now was founded to keep interested parties informed and to rally support.
Final plans were submitted to the Philadelphia Historical Commission in October 2007 and demolition of half of the house was approved at the Commission's November 2007 meeting. The Preservation Alliance and neighbors appealed to the L&I Review Board which sustained the appeal in September 2008.
Divine Lorraine - Philadelphia, PA
Project: Renovation of the Divine Lorraine for residential use, accompanied by demolition of the Annex to allow for new construction of a condominium project.
Current Status: The project has been dormant. The historic building remains vacant and is deteriorating.
Background: Designed by noted Victorian architect Willis Hale in 1893-94, the Divine Lorraine was the first racially integrated hotel in Philadelphia. Plans for the renovation of this National Register building at Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue in North Philadelphia were submitted to the Historical Commission in December 2006. The Divine Lorraine will be converted to condominium units, the six-story annex will be demolished and a new 800-unit residential complex constructed in several phases adjacent and connected to the Divine Lorraine. The complex will also have health club facilities and may have a supermarket. The condominium units are small and targeted to young professionals. The Historical Commission approved the plans in concept, allowing the demolition of the Annex as an “alteration.” The Annex was constructed in 1898 and designed by noted 19th-century architect Willis Hale.
Although the Alliance is very supportive of the renovation of the Divine Lorraine and also of the adjacent new construction, we feel that the demolition of the Annex should not be considered an alteration. The Alliance appealed this decision. The appeal has not been heard and the project is dormant.
Lazaretto– Tinicum Township, Delaware County
Project: Preservation and use of the nationally-important 1799 Lazaretto quarantine station and site.
Current status: A board formed to provide guidance for the restoration and reuse of the Historic Lazaretto in Tinicum Township has been meeting for a year. Three Tinicum Township representatives along with representatives from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia (Peter Benton, AIA, has been newly appointed), The National Trust for Historic Preservation (Mary Werner DiNadai, an architect with John Milner Architects) and Preservation Pennsylvania (Paul Steinke, general manager of the Reading Terminal Market) make up the current board. The organization was officially incorporated as Lazaretto Preservation Association of Tinicum Township in June 2008. Currently the board is considering various drafts of bylaws. Once bylaws are complete and passed by the board, the organization will begin to consider adding additional board members.
A feasibility study was prepared by the Delaware subsidiary of Stantec Inc., a large architecture/engineering firm. The study, completed in Fall 2008, recommends office use for the structure.
Background: The Preservation Alliance, Preservation Pennsylvania and the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed for an injunction to prevent construction of a new fire station on the 10-acre Lazaretto site. The Lazaretto is a 1799 quarantine station and the only facility of its kind and date in the United States. Although an injunction was not obtained and construction of the fire station proceeded, the legal action led to an agreement with Tinicum Township that a non-profit corporation would be created to manage five acres of the site, including the historic Lazaretto building. The group was established in 2007. Three members of the corporation are appointed by the Township and three by the preservation organizations, with one additional member to be jointly named.
For more information about this important site, please click here.
Nugent/Presser Homes - Mount Airy Project: Renovation of the Nugent and Presser buildings in Mount Airy accompanied by new residential development. Current Status: A proposal has been submitted to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency to renovate the Presser Home for 45 units of senior housing. A decision is expected in May 2009. There are currently no plans for the Nugent Home. Background: The Nugent Home for Baptists and the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers (221 and 101-121 West Johnson Street) were saved from demolition in 2005 when nominated for historic designation by the Preservation Alliance and Mount Airy community organizations. The site was subsequently purchased by Philadelphia Preservation Group, which proposed to build three new condominium buildings at the back of the site, and preserve the historic Nugent and Presser Homes. These plans were approved in concept by the community and the Philadelphia Historical Commission. With a shift in the condominium market, the project became a rental apartment development, with plans for restoration of the historic buildings on the site and construction of a new 6-story building. The plan was approved in concept, with comments from the Commission's Architectural Committee and the Preservation Alliance suggesting the need for further refinement of the design. 
Castleway Project - 19th & Walnut
Project: A mixed-use project with hotel, condominiums and retail complex at 19th and Walnut.
Current Status: There has been no activity on this proposal for over a year.
Background: The site includes three buildings protected by their historic status under the city's preservation ordinance. These three structures – the Oliver Bair Funeral Home, Warwick Apartments, and Rittenhouse Coffee Shop – were saved from demolition in 2004 when the Parking Authority sought to build a parking garage on the site. A developer purchased the property in September 2007, intending to build condominiums and a 200-room hotel including retail space and underground parking.
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