Opinion: Stop Treating Philly's Historic Buildings Like a Burden

"Philadelphia’s history isn’t a burden," writes Ashley Hahn in the Philadelphia Inquirer, but it's certainly being treated that way. According to Hahn, "increasing numbers of old buildings are demolished annually by city contractors and private owners, landfilling reusable materials and untold histories."

While "[m]ore than two-thirds of Philadelphia buildings were built more than 50 years ago, making them potentially eligible for local historic designation on the basis of age alone," less than 3% of the city's buildings have historic designation. That protected segment, writes Hahn, "unfortunately reflects a predominantly white version of the city’s past."

"The city’s Department of Planning and Development is attempting to correct this failure through a grant-funded pilot project to develop and test a survey identifying culturally significant places overlooked by traditional preservation." The survey "will be driven by the communities whose histories the historic register has excluded, particularly Black Philadelphia."

The project, "done right," will likely take years. "The process could help build public trust in the city’s preservation system as it becomes less exclusionary and more representative of Philadelphia’s diverse heritage," writes Hahn, "[b]ut it does nothing to keep that history standing in the meantime." Hahn recommends that the city immediately "enact a demolition review policy, at least until a citywide survey is completed." Otherwise, " the city is undercutting its well-intentioned survey before it starts." 

In other cities, permit applications to demolish buildings that meet "basic eligibility for local designation" trigger a review process. "It’s far faster to get a demolition permit than it is to designate a building as historic, which can take months. A demolition review policy would help level the playing field, instead of keeping it easy to level the city’s unprotected heritage."