PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neighbors in North Philadelphia are fighting to keep a historic landmark standing that was once a symbol of Philly pride.
Joe Frazier’s Gym, where heavyweight boxing champion Frazier trained to fight Muhammad Ali, has been a staple on North Broad Street for decades. The gym, which opened in the late 1960s, was Frazier's full-time training facility until it closed in 2008.
Within a few years, it went up for sale, was turned into a furniture outlet and placed on the national and local historic registries. No longer a furniture store, the building still stands with the name “Joe Frazier’s Gym” engraved on the front. The windows beneath it are boarded up.
District Councilmember Jeffery Young introduced a resolution last year to save the gym. It passed, but there’s still a lot of work in store. The building has failed three city inspections and the current owners owe more than $20,000 in back taxes and utility bills.
Myke Ford, who lives by the gym, says the property is a far cry from what it used to be.
“It’s depressing riding by here seeing this dilapidated building which was once history.”
Kevin Williams lived around the corner from Frazier’s Gym for decades and says it’s a shame the current owner let the gym fall into such disrepair.
He asks the city not to dishonor Frazier’s memory and suggests retransforming it into a symbol of Philly’s resilience.
“Don’t do it to any other champion, so don’t do it to ours. Love ‘em. Put Joe back on the wall, that’s what we do,” he said.
Williams says reopening the gym would be a benefit to the community.
“Fix the gym back up. Get the young brothers off the street. Get some trainers in there and train them.”
The gym is one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Frazier’s family says they are waiting to hear what steps the city will take next.