On Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Committee on Historic Designation of the city’s Historical Commission will review some West Philadelphia buildings for nominations – at 4300-02 Osage Ave/4304-06 Osage Ave and 3600-3630 Lancaster Avenue. Historic designation will help prevent demolition of the buildings and new development on the sites. The Advisory Committee meeting will be held in Room 578 in City Hall, starting at 9:30 a.m., and public support of the nominations is encouraged. Here’s more information on the buildings:
Satterlee Heights – 4300-02/4304-06 Osage Avenue
The three-story five-bedroom Victorian home at 4300-02 was purchased by Osage Realty Investment for $725,000 in May, 2015. The property has a large yard sloping down toward 43rd St. and that preservation advocates fear will become a building site if it is not saved by the city. The Committee on Historic Designation will consider for nomination this house and the adjoining twin at 4304-06 Osage Ave.
Lancaster Mews – 3600-30 Lancaster Avenue
Demolition of Lancaster Mews, a group of historic red-brick apartment buildings on the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, has already been proposed. As was reported in May, the owner, AP Construction, was preparing to sell the block-long row of buildings and was interviewing demolition contractors. A community meeting hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell was also held in May to discuss the future of the block. Residents and business owners who gathered at the meeting vowed to save the historic block from demolition (read more about the meeting here). The buildings at 3600-30 Lancaster Ave date back to 1870’s and also host neighborhood businesses.
September 16th, 2015 at 10:38 pm
The 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue is well worth preserving. The buildings are gorgeous and irreplaceable. My wife and I frequently had dinner at the now shuttered Zocalo restaurant on the corner of 36th and Lancaster — it’s a great space.
When I attended UPenn in the 1970s, I watched the University demolish both the north side of both the 3400 and 3600 blocks of Walnut Street, destroying retail establishments in the process and using the land as surface parking for decades. Only in the last 15 years or so has the property been developed. But the small retail shopping and dining district is gone forever. Let’s make sure that that doesn’t happen to the 3600 block of Lancaster.
September 17th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
So how did the meeting go? Did the commission grant historic designation to these properties??
September 17th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
Hi Matt. Thanks for your comment. We’ll post an update soon.
September 17th, 2015 at 2:56 pm
The committee voted in favor of the nominations for both Lancaster Mews and the Osage Ave properties. You can find a fuller account of the meeting at this page devoted to planning, zoning and development in West Philly.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/823548771046986/?ref=bookmarks
September 17th, 2015 at 3:28 pm
Matt, this was merely a vote by the committee, which offers its expert advice to the Historical Commission. The Commission may or may not accept their recommendation when they vote on adding the properties to the register, so they are not protected yet.
September 18th, 2015 at 10:24 am
Oh man! What is even the point of West Philly if the gorgeous buildings that make it unique are gone?