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.

It was standing room only last night at the Community Education Center as residents and business owners discussed the future of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, one of the signature blocks in the Powelton Village neighborhood (photo by West Philly Local).

Residents and business owners met in the Powelton Village neighborhood last night and vowed to take a stand against the possible demolition of the 3600 block of Lancaster Ave., a historic commercial block that stands in the shadows of glassy high rises encroaching on the neighborhood.

Known as the Lancaster Mews and built in the 1870s, the block of ground floor commercial and upstairs apartments on the south side of Lancaster Ave. is the latest neighborhood symbol of angst over rapidly increasing development in the neighborhood. The Powelton Village Civic Association (PVCA) has tried to stave off the rumored demolition of the block by having it added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

The PVCA filed the application after it became known that AP Construction, which owns the block, reportedly began interviewing demolition firms.

“The threat of demolition was imminent,” Powelton Village Civic Association zoning chair George Poulin told the standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 people gathered at the Community Education Center last night. “We feel really really threatened by what we are seeing in the neighborhood.”  Continue Reading

Lancaster Mews (photo from Lancastermewsapts.com).

Neighbors and all interested parties are invited this evening to learn more about the proposed demolition of Lancaster Mews, the redbrick apartment buildings and storefronts on the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue, and discuss the future development of the block. This is a great opportunity to share your concerns about the proposed development. The meeting is hosted by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and will take place starting at 6 p.m. at Community Education Center’s Meeting House Theatre (3500 Lancaster Ave).

In addition to apartments, Lancaster Mews also houses several businesses and a day care center. According to an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer published earlier this month, the block-long row of houses built in the late 1870’s may be demolished and replaced by apartment buildings aimed mostly at students.