Demolition

As hopes dwindle for the Church of the Assumption, preservationists are frantically pursuing legal measures aimed at preventing a developer from starting demolition work Tuesday at the historic site linked to two of Philadelphia's Catholic saints. The lawyer for the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, Samuel Stretton, said Monday he had made an emergency plea to a city building agency asking it to freeze the demolition permit. That agency, the Licenses and Inspections Review Board, is expected to consider his request Tuesday - the same day John Wei's demolition permit becomes effective.

As hopes dwindle for the Church of the Assumption, preservationists are frantically pursuing legal measures aimed at preventing a developer from starting demolition work Tuesday at the historic site linked to two of Philadelphia's Catholic saints. The lawyer for the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, Samuel Stretton, said Monday he had made an emergency plea to a city building agency asking it to freeze the demolition permit. That agency, the Licenses and Inspections Review Board, is expected to consider his request Tuesday - the same day John Wei's demolition permit becomes effective.

The effort to save the historic Church of the Assumption at 1133 Spring Garden St. is not over, said Samuel Stretton, lawyer for the neighborhood group trying to prevent the demolition of the building where St. Katharine Drexel was baptized. Stretton, who is representing the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, said the city should not have granted a demolition permit to Jonathan Wei, who bought the building in July. Siloam, the social service agency that had owned the building, had received a demolition permit, but Stretton was appealing that decision before Commonwealth Court.

SAMUEL STRETTON, the attorney for a neighborhood group fighting to save a landmark North Philadelphia church, plans to challenge a demolition permit that the city issued last month to the owners. "I don't know how they got it," Stretton said Monday of the new owners of Church of the Assumption. "The case is pending. It's before the Commonwealth Court. " City records show that a demolition permit was issued Nov. 21 and updated Nov. 29 with a notation: "Demolition activity shall not commence prior to Dec. 11, 2012.

PHOENIX - Officials in Phoenix and a developer who was poised to demolish a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home have reached an agreement that will put any work on hold while a search continues for a buyer, a city official confirmed Wednesday. The agreement with the developers who bought the 1952 home delays for nearly a month any demolition, said Brendan Mahoney, a senior adviser for Mayor Greg Stanton. The deal allows time for a potential sale to buyers who will preserve the 2,500-square-foot house, and also protects the developers, who contend they were issued a valid demolition permit that the city said was issued in error.

When the Giovannone brothers obtained a permit to demolish a Victorian house in Roxborough, it's unlikely they expected a phone campaign, hundreds of concerned citizens, and protests outside the Ridge Avene home. But a week after they posted demolition notices on the 1880's house, that's exactly what happened. The battle over the Bunting House began last week, after residents learned that Giovannone Construction Inc. had obtained a permit to demolish the stone mansion at Ridge and Roxborough Avenues.

For years, the city has been billing the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) millions of dollars for sealing or demolishing the agency's dangerous and derelict homes. And for years, PHA has ignored the bills, forcing the city to place liens on nearly 2,000 stand-alone rowhouses or empty lots. Now, after a failed attempt at a settlement in 2009, the sides have agreed to put the matter to rest, with PHA paying the city $6.2 million to clear all liens. PHA was liable for $10 million in costs, fines and interest.

T HE CHURCH of the Assumption, a building on the city's historic register that had been the focus of court fights over its possible demolition, was sold on July 5 to a real-estate developer. The new owner is John Wei, of JI Investments LLC, said Cathy McGuire, executive director of Siloam, a nonprofit that provides counseling for people with HIV/AIDS and other services. The organization had won permission to demolish the church from the Philadelphia Historical Commission but stiff community opposition scuttled that plan.

Police and the Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the discovery of bones at a demolition site in Strawberry Mansion. It is not known yet of the bones are human or animal, police said. A contractor doing work for the Department of Licenses and Inspections unearthed the remains during a demolition project at 2251 N. 33rd St. about 9:40 a.m., police said. Other details are not yet available.