City Agency May Block Demolition Of 2 Old Jewelers' Row Buildings
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia Historical Commission will decide next month whether to protect two Jewelers' Row buildings -- dating from the 1800's -- from being demolished.
Toll Brothers wants to replace a total of five buildings along Sansom Street with a high-rise condo. Executive director Paul Steinke of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia says they're worthy of preservation:
"Don't forget, they are currently occupied, functional and have historical merit."
Supporters have collected 6,700 names on a petition to save the three and four story buildings.
"I don't see why it needs to be torn down," says 57-year-old Jane Theis -- a resident-tenant whose studio is on the 4th floor of 704 Sansom Street.
She has lived in that building since she was 18.
"I love this building like it's a family member," she tells KYW Newsradio. "People come in and talk about the energy of the building."
While preservationists want to stop the demolition, the project has plenty of support from the people who make a living along Jewelers' Row. Roberto Pupo, who owns the other building in question (706-708 Sansom Street) says the Toll Brothers' project will help revitalize the block:
"We need something to generate business. The internet is stealing it all. People come to Sansom Street to spend $5-$10 to change the battery in a watch. We can't make a living on that."
The lawyer representing Toll Brothers, Carl Primavera, says nearly all of the 30 property owners along the 700 block of Sansom Street support the proposal to demolish five buildings and put up a 16-story, 80-unit residential building:
"I think it was Stalin who said 'in order to make an omelet, you have to crack a few eggs'."
After hearing from both sides, the Commission's Committee on Historic Designation voted unanimously to recommend that the two buildings be added to the city's Register of Historic Places.
This next decision comes November 10th.
