Demolition at 5901-09 Ridge Avenue?

[mixiboi]

It's sad to see that building go..

[mixiboi]

But it's weird seeing that entire block going down

[roxygirl2012]

Please sign the petition found at the link listed below to support the cessation of demolition of the Historic Bunting House!

Petition | GIOVANNONE CONSTRUCTION - Frank and Anthony Giovannone: Stop planned demolition of the Historic Bunting House | Change.org

[roxygirl2012]

Please sign the petition which can be found at the link below to save the Historical Bunting House from demolition no sooner than September 27, 2012!

Petition | GIOVANNONE CONSTRUCTION - Frank and Anthony Giovannone: Stop planned demolition of the Historic Bunting House | Change.org

[Garrett]

If I were the developer, I'd be there with equipment now doing the demo while it's legal. If what you are all saying is correct, and they have a demo permit in hand, then they are allowed to demolish the building.

You can't threaten to basically blacklist them from future business in the district. It may be illegal and you are all setting yourselves up for appeals later.

Get the Historical Commission involved. There may be time to get a stay based on a review of the property. I'm a layperson regarding historic issues, but the building seems to meet the criteria and like I said, I had projects that were absolutely not historic get help up.

Forget talking to the developer. Deal with the Councilman's Office and the State Rep. only. File the paperwork and let them know you did it so they can draw attention to it and get it processed.

Jonathan E. Farnham, Ph.D. - jon.farnham@phila.gov
Randy Baron - Randal.Baron@phila.gov

Philadelphia Historical Commission
City Hall, Room 576
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Telephone: 215.686.7660
Facsimile: 215.686.7674

[Garrett]

The Commission’s ordinance, Section 14-2007(5) of the Philadelphia Code prescribes the criteria for listing on the Philadelphia Register. They include:

1. Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or
2. Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or
3. Reflects the environment in an era characterized by a distinctive architectural style; or
4. Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or engineering specimen; or
5. Is the work of a designer, architect, landscape architect or designer, or engineer whose work has significantly influenced the historical, architectural, economic, social, or cultural development of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or
6. Contains elements of design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant innovation; or
7. Is part of or related to a square, park or other distinctive area which should be preserved according to an historic, cultural or architectural motif; or
8. Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community or City; or
9. Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in pre-history or history; or
10. Exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historical heritage of the community.

[D-man]

If I were the developer, I'd be there with equipment now doing the demo while it's legal. If what you are all saying is correct, and they have a demo permit in hand, then they are allowed to demolish the building.

They are not allowed to demolish the building, yet. The permit states that the demolition can not take place before 9/27.

City of Philadelphia: Home

[philly57]

I signed the petition and I also emailed Inga Saffron at the Inquirer. Until it's published there, this remains a small story.

[Juntonian]

In looking closely at the pictures upthread that mixiboi posted yesterday, the house at 5905 (next door to the Bunting house) appears as though it might have been constructed contemporaneously. The uncoursed stonework of the facade is much the same as that at 5901, and the shaping of the window frames is similar as well, with the rounded tops. All four extant buildings are likely more than 117 years old, as the 1895 Philadelphia Atlas available at PhilaGeoHistory.org depicts five properties on that side of the Ridge between Roxborough and Gerhard. It also indicates that a carriage house once existed to the rear of the Bunting house, approximately straddling the rear of the present parking lot.

While the other three buildings have been subject to distasteful building additions and neglectful owners, the Bunting house has retained much of its original splendor. It borders on criminal to obliterate such an intact example of Second Empire housing. As many now know, it was the home of Dr. Ross Richardson Bunting, an 1856 graduate of the Jefferson Medical College who later studied in Paris and served as a trustee of the Roxborough Home for Indigent Women. He is interred along with much of his family mere feet from his house at St. Timothy's, itself a surpassing example of high Victorian architecture. This was an accomplished man who had a large role in shaping Roxborough in the latter half of the 19th century. His life and legacy may largely be forgotten today, but his house remains as a physical reminder of a bygone era in this neighborhood. And it can still serve in a useful capacity in this day, if allowed to remain standing.

[Juntonian]

Additional information on the Roxborough Home for Women here:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze52bnf/r...omen/id13.html

I was interested to find at the above link a Mrs. Pamela DeLissio Johnson listed amongst the several matrons-superintendents of the Home.

Demolition Watch: Bunting House « Field Notes

The number of entities raising awareness of this imminent travesty is growing. I think it's imperative that a large, widely circulated publication, highly visible blog or local television station pick up the story in the next couple of days to increase the pressure on the Giovannones to desist. Anybody have any well-placed contacts?

[mixiboi]

In looking closely at the pictures upthread that mixiboi posted yesterday, the house at 5905 (next door to the Bunting house) appears as though it might have been constructed contemporaneously.

Yeah the other houses with their add on business fronts are similar. Just the fronts have been chopped off and built into store fronts..yuck...

[Kelpius]

The CRCA, the RDC, MDC, and the Councilman's staff met with the owners today. From what I hear of the meeting (I was not present) the owner renewed his claim that he had a high end architectural firm that wanted to rent the building but backed out at the last minute, so now he has to make the choice to do a renovation on spec or take the building down for a much larger development option. My reading between the lines is that the owner sees this corner property to be the linchpin in a larger assemblage that he believes is the highest and best future use for this site. If he can take the building down, then he can assemble the whole corner to create a more valuable development site for some kind of new retail. I am purely speculating, but I think his plan is to take the building down, suffer the slings and arrows from the community, and then do nothing. That will really piss everybody off to see a large vacant lot in the center of the neighborhood, so that when he then flips the parcel to a real commercial developer, like PROVCO, that new owner can come in on a white horse with a grand development plan that will "remove the blight" of a vacant parcel he created. This pure spin from my head, so don't take it a gospel. But I would bet a lot that I am close to being right.

What is next, I hope, is that the CRCA will likely file the appeal of the demo permit, appeal the use through zoning, and seek to stay the demolition. The good news in all of this is the RDC is actively involved in seeking a resolution.

The sad thing is that one call from the Councilman could stop all of this. Josh is a good guy doing what he can, but this requires the arm twisting that only the councilman himself can do. Everybody who is reading this needs to ask our Councilman - the councilman himself - to call the developer. This guy needs to know that he will lose his ability to develop if he bucks the councilman. Others have told me that he (the councilman) is aloof and unconcerned with 21st Ward, whose votes he does not need. I met him only once, in 2007 helping to introduce him to civic volunteers when he was a candidate in the district, and I got the sense that he meant well. So, to me, this is the test for whether anything that happens here matters to him.

As to the historic commission. We are able to save an 1864 house in Wissahickon from the wrecking ball by stalling the process long enough to have the Historic Commission do the background work needed to register it. That took several months, which we probably don't have here, but getting the process started would be a real help to any future hearing on the matter ...assuming the owner doesn't show up on the 27th and make all this moot.

[PhillySteak]

As much as an interesting building the corner one is, I think it's a stretch to call it historic to prevent redevelopment. Then what is the value of the property if what you can do to renovate it is limited. That being said, if someone turns it into either a bank or a pharmacy I will never set foot into it on principle alone.

[Lyceum]

What is the structural damage? I can't believe that the cost of the demolition would cost less than the price to repair. I'm not accepting this.

This home is very similar to mine. Mine was a flowerpot (still sort of is...restoration is slow). So, it gets razed for a vacant lot which produces no income, so there is a plan to do something. What is that plan? A check cashing store, a $1 store, what? The house just went through a rehab a few years ago; new paint, windows repaired, etc.... I'd like to know about this structural damage. Not buying that story.

How could anyone consider tearing down this beautiful home?

I signed the petition and am circulating it.

I hope something can be done.

[Kelpius]

As much as an interesting building the corner one is, I think it's a stretch to call it historic to prevent redevelopment. Then what is the value of the property if what you can do to renovate it is limited. That being said, if someone turns it into either a bank or a pharmacy I will never set foot into it on principle alone.

You may want to check this out re: http://fieldnotesphilly.wordpress.co...bunting-house/ the "stretch to call it historic" thought. Whether historic in the Independence Hall sense or merely because it has lent such character to that corner for the past 150 years, the argument about it being non-viable to rehab is specious. That's my business and I can tell you that if this owner would flip it to me for what he paid, I could make it a viable development in its current form. The bigger pay day is all that this decision is about, and we who live here will have to cringe every day for the rest of our days as we walk or drive past some dryvit piece of retail crap.

[sullivjo]

Excuse my French, but what a POS. The owners probably live in a giant victorian mansion in Main Line and are trying get money for the next Hawaiian vacation and a third Porsche. While we will have to suffer through poor urban planning and hideous commercial development that will sit empty for years. Disgusting. I'm writing a letter to the councilman right now! GRRR! The zoning and planning in Philadelphia is horrid!

[billy ross]

As much as an interesting building the corner one is, I think it's a stretch to call it historic to prevent redevelopment. Then what is the value of the property if what you can do to renovate it is limited. That being said, if someone turns it into either a bank or a pharmacy I will never set foot into it on principle alone.

Most corners in the suburbs used to look like that. Now few do, and this fact contributes to the overall ugliness of the suburbs' main roads, which is what you generally see as you navigate the suburbs. To remove those houses and put in a drugstore or the like would be a travesty - it would take away some of Roxborough's uniqueness and make Roxborough's Ridge look more like the placeless bland highways all over this country.

Around 1978 I saw John Wayne's 'The Shootist' at the Roxy at Ridge and Leverington. It was the last movie for both of them. Now John Wayne's dead and all that's left of the Roxy is the one side wall, maybe 18" thick with yellow bricks, and we have a Dunkin Donuts in it's place. We've already lost so much. I curse the morons who let the one corner of Ridge and Midvale get flattened, but at least the other three haven't been cleared.

[Juntonian]

You may want to check this out re: Demolition Watch: Bunting House « Field Notes the "stretch to call it historic" thought. Whether historic in the Independence Hall sense or merely because it has lent such character to that corner for the past 150 years, the argument about it being non-viable to rehab is specious. That's my business and I can tell you that if this owner would flip it to me for what he paid, I could make it a viable development in its current form. The bigger pay day is all that this decision is about, and we who live here will have to cringe every day for the rest of our days as we walk or drive past some dryvit piece of retail crap.

The Bunting house is one of a dwindling number of extant properties which represent this particular architectural style. Whether by neglect, unintended damage resulting from fire or other natural catastrophes or unthinking redevelopment, many of the houses built during the relatively brief heyday of Second Empire construction (1860-1880) have been lost over the years. Nothing in this style or with equal craftsmanship and quality materials will be built again. One notable cautionary example which comes to mind now is the c. 1860 Second Empire twin houses at 4224-6 Baltimore Avenue which stood adjacent to Clark Park for nearly a century and a half. They were unceremoniously demolished in February 2009 after the West Philadelphia community discovered that they were helpless to save them.

News, University City, Penn, Drexel, West Philadelphia, Ucity, UCD, USP, Clark Park, Woodlands

Ominously, the above-linked article quotes Marty Cabry, Councilwoman Blackwell's point person on zoning issues, as saying that "The Councilwoman contacted L & I this morning" ... "But since he has a permit she can’t stop him." That situation very closely parallels the current impending debacle at 5901 Ridge. To this date, the parcels along Baltimore Avenue remain undeveloped and are an appalling eyesore in the heart of this very vibrant section of West Philadelphia.

[mixiboi]

What is the structural damage? I can't believe that the cost of the demolition would cost less than the price to repair. I'm not accepting this.

You are looking small picture, just that one house...The whole half block is going down, and that one corner house is in the way of the whole sale of the future lot behind it.

If this house want there, I don't think many would care if the other houses on that block go.

[taxgirl]

There may be a temporary stay. Here's the update: NewsWorks Exclusive: Delay possible in plan to demolish historic Roxborough house