City officials, preservationists provide update at February 13 community meeting

"Come to the February 20th court hearing and be annoying"

At a second community meeting held at Greater St. Matthew's Church, 24th and Gray's Ferry Avenue, City officials and representatives of the preservation community provided additional details on the City's aggressive steps to secure and preserve the historic Naval Home. The City has filed a suit against the property's owner, the Huntingdon Valley based developer, Toll Brothers.

Bob Sovibile, deputy commissioner for Licenses and Inspections, explained that Mayor John F. Street and City Council President Anna C. Verna called a meeting the day a five alarm fire damaged the national landmark structure. "They want the building restored to its glory," reported Solvibile. "Not just to the way it was before the fire but the way it was when Toll Brothers got it. Nothing less will do." The City intends to make Toll Brothers pay for twenty years of deterioration.

This aggressive stance will delay the completion of the independent engineering report ordered in the wake of the fire and conducted by the firm of Keast and Hood. Dr. Richard Tyler of the historical commission explained that he City is now researching architectural drawings, plans, construction documents and photographs to aid them in determining how to restore the building and to what time period. "Any of you who live in the neighborhood and have photos," said Solvibile, they could be helpful to us."

Solvibile also explained that L&I has done a forensic search of the main building, Biddle Hall, with similar searches on the agenda for the Surgeon's and Governor's residences, the two freestanding structures flanking the mainbuilding. "We need to document its condition right now, so that we'll have evidence of how the buildings were allowed to deteriorate," said Solvibile.

Kathleen Murray, special assistant to City Council President Anna C. Verna, urged neighborhood residents to come to the February 20 hearing, on the 9:00 docket for Common Pleas Court, Courtroom 446 in City Hall.Quipped Solvibile, "Come and be annoying." Solvibile hopes to have immediate authorization to remove the graffiti frorm the front of the building following the hearing.

Solvibile also addressed the issue of the roof, brought up at the February 11 community meeting. "The roof was really unique -- its structure was like a ship with the keel, prow, and ribs, but turned upside down. The City is going to demand that that roof be restored, but we haven't yet found the drawings or any photographs, and we could use help from the community." Although the tin roof "looks okay," said Solvibile," it's not. The support under it is gone." Solvibile still could not give a date for roof replacement. "But there's something else I can tell you," he added. "After the fire we were worried about water in the basement, so we insisted that the Fire Department pump it out. But when we went down, we found that the basement was barely damp after pouring all that water over the building from all those hoses." L&I is somewhat less concerned now, he observed, about further water damage in the immediate future than before checking the basement.

John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, repeated his praise for the City's prompt actions. "The City has responded to this issue in a more positive, immediate, and wonderful way than we ever expected -- and I think they deserve some recognition," Gallery said. "This is a situation in which we can be really proud of our city officials and agencies."

Gallery again voiced his concerns about Toll Brothers' intentions or abilities to develop the site in a manner consistent with the preservation of the historic site. "There are serious questions about whether Toll Brothers will want to do this," he said. "The best strategy would be to find a way to move the ownership of the property to someone who will not only restore the building but reuse the side in a way more in line with the character of the neighborhood. We need to identify a more appropriate developer."

What the Community Can Do

In response to a question from the floor, Kathleen Murray said the best advice was probably given by Kevin Hanna, the City's new secretary of housing and neighborhood preservation, at the February 11 meeting. Hanna suggested that a campaign to reach institutional investors and other entities with a significant economic impact on Toll Brothers would provide the kind of pressure that could make Toll more interested in selling. [see "What You Can Do"]

The site was sold to Toll Brothers by the federal government's General Services Administration, and the sale included certain covenants regarding its redevelopment and preservation. Toll is in violation of these covenants, and Gallery suggested citizens contact the GSA to help raise the profile of the issue. As one attendee observed, "no one likes the feds looking into your business." [Ed. Note: The following was found on the GSA website as suggested by John Gallery]

Stephen A. Perry, Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, DC 20405
(202) 501-0800
stephen.perry@gsa.gov

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