PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A historic property near Independence Mall is deteriorating from disuse, attracting violation notices from the Department of Licenses and Inspections for trash, graffiti and weeds on the exterior. The violations have been unaddressed for more than a year, even though the owner of the building is the City of Philadelphia itself.
A. Atwater Kent donated the imposing Greek Revival building on 7th Street near Market, the former home of the Franklin Institute, in 1938 as a museum for Philadelphia history.
The city found it too expensive to keep operating and in 2018, the Kenney administration shut the doors with no plan for its reuse. Now, 2 1/2 years into the Parker administration, there’s still no plan and the vacant building has become an eyesore in a part of town that’s been under the spotlight this year.
“The city just needs to be a better steward of this historic asset, especially in this semiquincentennial year when we’re celebrating the birth of the nation a block away,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Historic Preservation Alliance.
Steinke is among a coalition of advocates who wrote to the mayor more than two months ago, concerned that the building is deteriorating. They still have not received an answer.
“The former museum stands vacant, neglected, and without a public plan for its future,” states the letter, signed by nine people representing neighbors of the building and historic preservation groups.
They urge the mayor to address the L&I violations, commit to preventing further deterioration and evaluate long-term options such as continued city ownership with new use or a sale “through a transparent public process.”
“It is the responsibility of the city to maintain the property and try to find a new use for it so that it doesn’t rot and decay and just fall apart,” said Eli Storch, chair of the Design Advocacy Group and one of the signatories. “It can be maintained, it can be put back into serviceable use and the building won’t reach a point where the building is beyond saving and can be demolished, which would be a really tragic loss.”
Michael Norris also signed the letter. He maintains his own historic building a few blocks away, as executive director of Carpenters’ Hall, and thinks the city could find willing partners to revive the building.
“Philadelphia has such a wonderful, organized community around architecture, design, preservation,” he said. “There are plenty of folks out there who care and have the professional expertise to bring to bear to help the building find a new life.”
There are complications, the letter acknowledged. Kent, in his donation, stipulated that if the building ever ceased to be a city historical museum, it should be returned to his family. The letter argues, though, that “cannot serve as a justification for indefinite neglect.”
Steinke says he’s spoken to the family and they appear to have no interest in reclaiming the building. He says he’s also spoken to individuals, organizations and businesses who’ve expressed interest in the property but have been denied entry for a walk-through to evaluate the building.
“We don’t know what the condition of the inside is like,” Steinke said, though he believes it’s salvageable. “It’s got a lot of assets that suggest if the city were to give it a chance, a new use would emerge.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The contents of the museum, some 100,000 items from William Penn’s wampum belt to the Lit Brothers Christmas Village, were transferred to Drexel University in 2022. Storch would like to see them find a new home, too.
“Whenever that collection gets out into the light of day, people go and see it because they’re excited,” he said. “Philadelphia is far too significant a city not to have any sort of history museum.”
The city-owned building has sat disused since 2018
The city-owned building has sat disused since 2018
