PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As the Philadelphia School District considers the future of its aging buildings, a new report calls on the district to rehabilitate, not rebuild.
The School District is reviewing the condition and utilization of its 300 buildings, a process that will likely result in some schools being closed or consolidated. The district has said the average age of its buildings is 73 years old.
The nonprofit Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia released a report Wednesday, urging the district to make demolition a last resort and prioritize keeping and modernizing buildings.
"We're not saying that new buildings are never going to be the right answer. But when they are the answer, let's not throw away the old ones," Alliance Executive Director Paul Steinke told reporters Wednesday during an online news conference. "It is a fact that we will never build buildings like these again, in terms of their materials, craftsmanship and style," he said.
The report recommends refurbishing existing buildings instead of building new ones. If a school building is to be closed, the report urges establishing mothballing protocols and repurposing buildings for housing or community uses.
"In this current facilities planning process, we've not seen any stated preservation goals," said Hanna Stark, the Alliance's director of policy and communications. "Our desire with this report is to make sure that preservation is considered."
The Alliance developed the report, Steinke said, after the recent demolition of the old Cassidy Elementary School in Overbrook and the AMY at James Martin School in Port Richmond.
"Both of those historic buildings were torn down for new buildings," Steinke said. "Newly built school buildings generate excitement, especially if the school that was there has been neglected and is in poor condition. But we think that that same level of excitement can be achieved by rehabilitating our historic school buildings in Philadelphia."
Stark said 250 Philadelphia school buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are not protected from demolition. Both Cassidy and AMY at James Martin were demolished even though they were on the National Register. Ten city school buildings appear on Philadelphia's Register of Historic Places and can't be altered or torn down.
Steinke said he shared the report with the school district and is awaiting a response. He said he hopes the report will open the door to future conversations as the facilities process proceeds.
The Philadelphia Board of Education plans to vote on the so-far-unreleased facilities recommendations by the end of this calendar year.