Yesterday, the State Department of General Services (DGS), which is building the Convention Center Expansion, ignored a ruling by the State Historical Commission, and started demolishing two historic buildings that stand in the path of the new building.
This is doubly disappointing. It is important that we save these buildings. And the way in which the DGS, and our political leaders, are acting is truly despicable. Evidently it was too expensive to violate the trust of the people the way we usually do them in this state–which would have meant that the demolition would have started at 2 am. Instead, the state has acted at the next most nefarious time, when the holiday season is upon us and we were celebrating, among other things, a decision that we thought would protect these buildings.
The whole story is below. Read it. And then email Governor Rendell and ask him to order the DGS to stop destroying our heritage.
The Effort to Save the Broad Street Buildings
For years, a determined group of preservationists, some of them my friends and / or people I’ve worked with before, like the incredible John Gallery of the Preservation Alliance and Alan Greenberger of the Design Advocacy Group, have been working to save two historic buildings on Broad Street, the Philadelphia Life Insurance Building and its Annex, that were in the path of the expanded Convention Center. The Annex, a building by the great Philadelphia architect, Aldo Giurgola, was path-breaking in that it showed that a modern building could, and often should, take into account the context in which it is built rather than standing apart as an abstract monument.
In 2004, the Convention Center signed an agreement with the State Historical Commission to preserve the facades of these building and incorporate them into the Convention Center.
Saving the facades of these buildings was not just a genuflection to the past. Incorporating them into the Convention Center expansion would have improved it by breaking up what will otherwise be a big, bland and boring exterior on Broad Street.
The Effort to Weasel out of the Agreement
The State Department of General Services, which is building the expansion, has been trying to weasel out of the agreement in the last year, saying that the facades could not be saved. But, according to Inga Saffron’s report in the Inky, the Convention Center’s own architects denied this claim.
On Friday I celebrated when I read that the campaign lead by the Preservation Alliance and the Design Advocacy Group to pressure the State Historical Commission to save the buildings had been successful as the Commission ruled on Thursday that the facades should be saved.
But, someone concluded that this was only an “advisory opinion” and, decided to put facts on he ground when no one would be looking. So, yesterday, demolition began. No one knows who ordered the demolition but someone from the Governor’s office is quoted, without attribution, saying that “we have no intention of leaving those buildings.”
Politics as Usual
I hope I am wrong, but as far as I know, not one political official in this city has spoken out about saving these buildings, or took any action to enforce the State Historical Commission ruling yesterday.
So this is just one more example of how politics in this city and state is not just broken but absolutely disgusting. It is a shameful act that diminishes our city and our spirit.
It is Not Over
But there is still a chance, to change directions. So far, only the limestone pieces on the Giugola building have been removed. The buildings are still standing. The Preservation Alliance will be seeking an emergency injunction today or tomorrow. I will post again if and when a hearing is held, with the hope that many of you will come out to lend your support.
In the meantime, Governor Rendell can stop the destruction of these buildings. Please email Governor Rendelland ask him to act now.
A hearing on the request for an injunction will be held on Tuesday, January 8, at 10:00 am in Courtroom Number One, Fifth Floor, Irvis Office Building in Harrisburg.
As I get more information about the hearing and, especially, about whether it would be helpful for supporters to attend the hearing, I’ll report back here.
Thanks to all of you who contacted the Governor or otherwise showed your support for these buildings and historic preservation process in Pennsylvania.
I laughed when I saw that the DGS is concerned about the extra costs of saving the two buildings. Obviously cost was not a consideration when they paid time and a half to have people come in on a Saturday to start demolition.
Request for an injunction filed by the Preservation Alliance. I do not know when the hearing will be but will post it as soon as I find out.
I haven’t been to the site so I don’t know if demolition is continuing. (I wrenched my back on Saturday and am not that mobile right now.) If anyone lives nearby and can take a look, please do so and report back.
Great response so far
To judge by the out of office responses I got to my email blast, half of the 33,000 people on my email list are out of town.
Yet despite that, hundreds of emails have already been sent to the Governor about the historic buildings threatened by the Convention Center expansion.
Thanks to Dan for pointing to the larger issues involved in this dispute and for writing a great email. Now if more of you would just copy it and send it on to the Governor, we might have a shot of stopping further destruction of, not just some lovely buildings but the process by which any good building is saved from irresponsibile development.