Preservationist Shawn Evans reports that L&I has given the owner of the Divine Lorraine 30 days to fix or demolish “entire building.”
Update
According to the Historical Commission, after this week’s fire, L&I issued violations. Today’s notice is in reference to these new violations. The city will accordingly take additional additional steps to prevent trespassers from entering the building: starting today, a contractor will use masonry to infill openings, remove lower sections of the fire escapes, demolish a small shack out building and repair the fence. For Peter Woodall’s plea to the city to act to safeguard the building, published here Wednesday, click HERE.
The property owner has given the City permission to do the work, the cost of which will accrue in a lien. Says Historical Commission executive director John Farnham in an e-mail to John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, made available to the Hidden City Daily, “the City is not
considering demolishing either building at this point in time. The highest levels of the administration have authorized this action.”
Further, writes Farnham, “it is good news, not bad news.”
About the author
Nathaniel Popkin is co-founder of the Hidden City Daily and author of three books of non-fiction, including Philadelphia: Finding the Hidden City (with Peter Woodall and Joseph E.B. Elliott) and two novels, Everything is Borrowed and Lion and Leopard. He is co-editor of Who Will Speak for America, an anthology forthcoming in June 2018, and the senior writer of the film documentary "Philadelphia: The Great Experiment."
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Can we get one of these for the F*ING ROYAL THEATRE?
So what they discovered is that after years of weather, neglect, abuse and the stripping of the inside for anything of value this building is not up to code. Who could have guessed?
It’s our own fault for talking about it so much.
Agreed.
Well, if they seal that entry way then access to the building will end. I hope they don’t demolish it, it seems like the Major really wants to save and restore it so let’s hope that matters.
Please check out Old Images of Philadelphia on Facebook they have so many historic pictures of Philly dated from the late 1800’s to the 1990’s It’s the most loved Philly page Facebook.com and I have a photo from the Divine Lorraine hotel back in 1915
I bought a few old postcards on Ebay that had been sent from guests styaing at the hotel back in it’s heyday. It has turned into such an eyesore. Wouldn’t it be wonfderful if it actually were restored one day?
If I had a dollar every time I have seen on of these on a building that is up at least two years after the 30 day time limit I would have at least a couple thousands dollars.
It costs $8-10/SF to demolish… the city has no $!