Google+

19th Century Powelton Village commercial strip protected, developer’s attorney vows fight

October 9, 2015

Meeting 3

36th and Lancaster

The city’s Historical Commission today added a strip of Lancaster Avenue commercial and residential buildings dating to the 1870s to the Registry of Historic Places.

The designation of the south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue requires Historical Commission approval of building or renovation plans.

An attorney for the property’s owner, AP Construction, vowed to appeal the decision.

The Powelton Village Civic Association began to pursue the designation last spring when it learned of AP Construction’s plans to demolish the block and reportedly sell it for student housing. With street-level storefronts and apartments on upper floors, the block anchors the main commercial strip in the neighborhood.

About 25 residents of Powelton Village were on hand at the meeting and nearly all raised their hands when asked if they agreed with the historic designation proposal. 

“Attempts to change that village character through insensitive redevelopment are completely inappropriate,” said Mark Brack, a Powelton Village resident and professor of architectural history at Drexel.

But Carl Primavera, AP Construction’s attorney, argued that the city could protect the block through planning constraints such as a deed restriction or an historic easement. Primavera said AP, which bought the property with “an eye toward redevelopment,” would appeal the designation.

“Why make this a legal issue when it could be a planning issue,” Primavera said, adding that the approval was a “retaliatory designation” supported by a range of neighborhood interests, including developers of nearby properties, unnamed government officials and “the press.

4300Osage2

43rd and Osage

The 3600 block of Lancaster is just a block north of a massive, multi-building development – uSquare – that is underway on the site of the former University City High School and Drew Elementary School.

The Historic Commission also approved the designation of the twin homes at the southwest corner of 43rd and Osage. Built in the 1870s, the twins are examples of the Second Empire style that were built on several nearby blocks. Proponents hope that today’s decision will be the first step toward that part of the neighborhood being declared a historic district.

Mike Lyons

1 Comments For This Post

  1. mdschill Says:

    Oh thank god. I think Primavera should consider that if the designation was supported by “a range of neighborhood interests” then maybe it has some legitimacy.

Leave a Reply

2  +  4  =