The Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the designation of the Blakemore Street Historic District at its meeting on Friday, August 8. The district, nominated by Oscar Beisert of The Keeping Society of Philadelphia, is located on a block that gently curves to follow the line of the Chestnut Hill East railroad tracks in Mount Airy. It is comprised of a set of Tudor Revival twins. The homes were constructed in the 1920s as apartment buildings during a time of significant dense residential growth in the neighborhood along the train lines.
In an area with many examples of the Tudor Revival style, the Blakemore Street buildings stand out for their thorough treatment on all sides, with second-floor faux half timbering in a variety of motifs, steeply pitched roofs, and extensive use of Wissahickon schist on shared courtyards and steps. At the rear of the buildings there is a large swath of green space that spans the length of the block.
Tudor Revival apartments that make up the Blakemore Street Historic District. | Photo: Google Street View
The Historical Commission staff recommended approval of the district. While they were in the process of sending notifications to the property owners, the buildings at 6657 and 6659 on one end that had been owned and left to decay by Germantown Settlement were taken over by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) and demolished. PRA stated it intends to build affordable housing on the site and objected to its inclusion in the proposed historic district.
When the Committee on Historic Designation reviewed the nomination, it recommended designation, with the properties at 6657-59 Blakemore Street classified as non-contributing and the shared stairs and courtyard between it and 6655 Blakemore Street classified as contributing. At today’s Historical Commission meeting, staff reversed their recommendation and supported the exclusion of the lot from the district, citing a previous, similar case that resulted in a court order.
After much discussion of keeping the shared steps and courtyard in the district, including a request from the owner of the adjacent property, the Historical Commission voted to remove the entire parcels of 6657 and 6659 from the Blakemore Street Historic District.
1730 Wharton Street in Point Breeze. | Photo: Michael Bixler
Earlier in the meeting, the long saga of illegally replaced windows at 18th Street Methodist Episcopal Church at 1730 Wharton Street finally reached a resolution. The owners will be able to proceed with converting the 1888 building to 14 residential units.
Top: 148, 150, and 152 N. 2nd Streets are listed as contributing to the Old City Historic District, which was added to the National Register in 1972 and to the Philadelphia Register in 2003. The legally protected buildings, including a home that dates back to 1755, are now slated for demolition with the exception of the facades. The small, single story commercial building next door will be razed and the entire lot will be used for new construction. | Photos: Michael Bixler
The owner of a row of six parcels on the west side of North 2nd Street, between Race and Quarry Streets, received approval in concept for a construction project. A 2 1/2 story house built in 1755 at 150 N. 2nd Street and a two-story building at 148 N. 2nd Street were individually designated in the 1980s. They were also designated as contributing to the Old City Historic District, along with the three-story building at 152 N. 2nd Street, which dates to the 1920s.
The other three parcels consist of two vacant lots and a one-story commercial building to the south of the other three and are non-contributing to the historic district. The project will partially demolish the three contributing buildings while maintaining their facades and demolish the non-contributing building. A six-story, mixed-use building will fill out the conjoined parcels.
