Philadelphia Hospitality Center, 1962. | Photo: Lawrence Williams, courtesy of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia

At its meeting on October 10, the Philadelphia Historical Commission added four new properties to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, including an iconic, midcentury modern landmark in Center City.

The Philadelphia Hospitality Center (aka the “flying saucer”) at 1501 John F Kennedy Boulevard has been a distinctive feature of Love Park for over 60 years. It was designed in 1959 in the International Style by architect Roy F. Larson, a founding principal of Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson. He greatly influenced modern architecture in Philadelphia during the period of urban renewal, especially in Center City, under Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Although vacant for many years and labelled as “endangered” by both the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia (the nominator) and Preservation Pennsylvania in 2014 and 2015, the City-owned structure underwent major renovations in 2021 and appears ready for a new use.

Two churches added to the local register were nominated by their owners. The first, Providence Baptist Church of Germantown at 87-91 East Haines Street, was designed by architect Maurice Rosenthal in the Gothic Revival style using Wissahickon schist. Originally a nomadic congregation, the historically Black community financed, planned, and constructed the church building over a period of four years.

The former Presbyterian Church of the Evangel at 1800 Tasker Street. | Photo: Michael Bixler

The second church, at 1800 Tasker Street in Point Breeze, is owned by Dane Jensen who has plans to repurpose the building. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style by Theophilus P. Chandler, an important Philadelphia architect in the late 19th century, with later modifications by Duhring, Okie & Ziegler, another notable local firm. It has been a visual anchor in the neighborhood since its construction in 1886 as the Presbyterian Church of the Evangel and later the home of the Second Nazareth Missionary Church.

In February 2025, Jensen received a zoning permit “for partial demolition of an existing structure; for erection of the third-floor addition, chimney, and stair tower enclosure in an existing structure.” He has stated a desire to repurpose it as a community gathering place, although it is currently zoned RSA-5, residential single family attached.

The former Tacony Savings Fund Safe Deposit Title & Trust Company at 4900 Longshore Avenue was also added to the Philadelphia Register. Architect John Ord designed the building with a mixture of Romanesque and Italianate details, characteristic of Victorian bank design in the late 19th century. Built in 1893, it was a significant financial institution in the development of Tacony, having been operated by two sons of Henry Disston who, with his Disston Saw Works, developed the neighborhood into a sort of company town.

The item that occupied much of the meeting was a proposed amendment to 2018’s Ridge Avenue Roxborough Thematic Historic District, which includes 186 historic buildings along Ridge Avenue between the Wissahickon Creek and Northwestern Avenue. The nominator, the Ridge Park Civic Association, requested the addition of 14 more properties scattered between 6600 and 8113 Ridge Avenue that had not been included in the original thematic district.

A 200-year-old home at 6649 Ridge Avenue was razed prior to a demolition moratorium bill introduced by Councilperson Curtis Jones in 2017. A mid-rise condominium complex was built in its place. | Photo: Michael Bixler

The nominators expressed their concern that historic properties not included in the historic district were at risk of demolition and replacement by large multifamily and commercial units. Emphasizing that they were not against this type of development, but rather felt it could be done without removing the historic buildings. They gave examples of developments that had restored historic buildings and constructed multifamily units behind them and contrasted them with large developments that had been built on the sites of demolished historic buildings, such as the 200-year-old house formerly at 6649 Ridge Avenue.

Two property owners contested their inclusion, at 6807 Ridge Avenue and 7615 and 7617 Ridge Avenue, one claiming his buildings were not constructed during the period of significance of 1681-1908 and the other disputing the history of his parcel as contained in the nomination.

After much deliberation, the Historical Commission voted to add all the proposed properties except the one at 6807 Ridge Avenue.

A 6th nomination was not approved, although with a caveat. The Conchy-Leech Tenant House at 5831 Yocum Street in Kingsessing was nominated as an example of the formerly rural character of Darby Road, now called Woodland Avenue. A two-and-one-half story frame building constructed around 1805, it had been extensively altered between March 2023 and March 2024 without receiving permits from the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). While the Historical Commission felt the building still maintained much of its original integrity beneath the additions and siding, and therefore was worthy of designation, it declined to do so at this time owing to L&I’s concerns about the unpermitted alterations, which were likely to be pursued.