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The City has decided not to appeal the ruling by Judge Esther Sylvester
that the impoverished Church of Christ congregation restore rather than sell its
crumbling edifice at 63rd and Vine. The building had been condemned by the city
as unsafe, but the historical fanatics stepped in and tried to force the small,
low-income congregation that owns the building to do $3 million in repairs as
opposed to sell it for $875,000 to make way for a CVS store.
Notwithstanding the statements by the anointed preservation community that
the "constitutionality" of historic designation has been "settled" by both the
Pennsylvania and United States Supreme Court, the city knew it couldn't win if
it pressed this case.
True, the building is beautiful and may even have historical
merit from an architectural or cultural standpoint. And the world probably
doesn't really need one more CVS store. But, if the church pumped $3 million
into its building, what would it have? And, for $875,000 they could acquire land
and build a church that suits the needs of a 21st Century urban ministry,
with money left over to finance ongoing projects.
The Philadelphia Historical Commission, which touts its "hardship
exemptions" didn't seem to care and pushed -- fortunately unsuccessfully -- for
the city to try to get the ruling overturned. And the historical fanatics, who
portrayed this situation as akin to the sack of Rome, weren't exactly opening
their pockets to help with the restoration.
Anyway, read what the Inquirer had to say about this, when the case was
pending and now, at that informative website:
Al
Krigman
(Left of Ivan Groznyj) |
- [UC] Electricians Krfapt
- [UC] Electricians Jonathan Herrmann
