April Advocacy Update

Airy Street Prison Demolition Permit Withdrawn

At the April 4^th Montgomery County Commissioners meeting, it was announced that the Commissioners unanimously agreed to withdraw the demolition permit application for the Old Airy Street Prison in Norristown! In November, the County issued a six-month delay of their application to demolish the prison. The County’s Planning Commission announced it is issuing an RFI for a structural and condition assessment of the site. This will inform an RFEI scheduled for late summer/fall that solicits reuse strategies.

This new development is a testament to the hard work and dedication of preservation advocates in Norristown. In close collaboration with the Friends of the Airy Street Prison, the Preservation Alliance continues to champion the cause of rehabilitating the structure. We firmly believe in the viability of a development plan that reuses the historic prison building, contributing significantly to the Norristown community. We are pleased that the County is taking a deliberate and thoughtful approach to explore this potential. 

PA Historic Tax Credit Advocacy Gains Momentum 

The campaign to strengthen PA’s historic tax credit program gained momentum with the formation of the PA Historic Tax Credit Coalition, comprised of preservation non-profits, architects, developers, and other supporters from across the Commonwealth who want to raise the aggregate cap of the tax credit program. The PA historic tax credit program is currently capped at only $5 million annually, a highly inadequate and noncompetitive amount. It is also the lowest of any neighboring states and the fourth lowest among the 37 states with a historic tax credit. If your organization is interested in joining the coalition, please get in touch.

On April 11, during a coalition call hosted by the Preservation Alliance and Preservation Pennsylvania, Senator Nikil Saval shared that he and Senator Frank Farry recently filed a co-sponsorship memo. This indicates the senators' intentions to introduce legislation to strengthen the PA’s historic tax credit program and invites other senators to support the legislation as co-sponsors. We encourage you to contact your senator to sign on to Senator Saval and Farry’s legislation! Advocacy resources are available on our website! 

Several long-awaited nominations were considered at the April Committee on Historic Designation meeting. The Alliance’s nomination for Griffith Hall, 4201-47 Woodland Avenue, on the former University of the Sciences campus, was unanimously recommended for designation.

The Georgian Revival building was built in 1927 for the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science (PCPS), the nation's first college of pharmacy, when it relocated from Center City. PCPS became the University of the Sciences in 1998 and merged with St. Joseph's University in 2022. While the campus's future is still unknown, the Preservation Alliance hopes that the Historical Commission will approve our nomination and protect this important landmark. 

The Preservation Alliance’s nomination of 1200-08 South Broad Street, built as the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge for the Order Sons of Italy in America in 1954, was also unanimously recommended for designation. The fraternal organization employed the leading modernist firm of Carroll, Grisdale & Van Alen to construct a community center for the city’s Italian American population. 

In February, the Historical Commission approved a two-story overbuild on the site. This will convert most of the building to apartments while retaining space within the building for the recent owner, Programs Employing People (PEP), to continue to provide opportunities for those with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. The Alliance did not oppose the proposal as it preceded the nomination.

Approved proposal, 1200 S. Broad St.

The Spruce Hill Historic District, Southeast Quadrant's nomination was also scheduled to be considered, but the Committee lost a quorum and cut the meeting short. This nomination will be considered again at a future Committee on Historic Designation meeting. The Alliance applauds the Spruce Hill Community Association and partners for nominating the primarily residential district in West Philadelphia shaped during the heyday of the omnibuses and horse-car street railroads.