Historic Philadelphia church to be torn down

The Philadelphia Historical Commission cleared the way Friday for the demolition of a landmark Spring Garden Street church whose 15-story twin spires are visible across much of North Philadelphia, and whose sanctuary nurtured the city's two most notable Roman Catholic saints, John Neumann and Katharine Drexel.

The commission, which placed the ochre-colored Church of the Assumption on its historic register only last year, agreed to allow the demolition after its nonprofit owner testified that it was financially incapable of making crucial repairs to the green copper steeples. The 6-5 vote marked the latest defeat in Philadelphia's struggle to retain its stock of spectacular, but underused, 19th-century religious buildings.

The decision came after hours of testimony, and after neighborhood residents and preservationists - including several city officials - pleaded with the commission to spare the historic sanctuary. Built by the noted church architect Patrick Charles Keely, the Church of the Assumption was consecrated by Bishop Neumann in 1848. Drexel was baptized there a decade later.

"Are we really ready to destroy a building that has such a profound history?" Commissioner David Schaff wondered aloud just before the vote.

Schaff, who represents the Planning Department on the commission, noted that the church was the oldest surviving building on Spring Garden, a once-grand boulevard that has been severely battered on its eastern flank. With the real estate market in the doldrums, many predict the large site, just east of 12th Street, could linger as an empty lot for years.

Despite those concerns, the building's owner, the nonprofit Siloam, which provides free services to people with HIV/AIDS, argued that its own survival could be in jeopardy if it were forced to preserve the church and make costly repairs that could require more than $1.5 million.

Demolition of historically certified properties is generally forbidden in Philadelphia unless the owner can prove financial hardship.

Siloam director Joseph Lukach testified that his group spent months trying to find a new use for the church or a buyer to take it off its hands. When those efforts failed, he said, the board concluded that demolition was its only option.