Opponents appeal plan to build new district police headquarters on the Diamond Street historic corridor
“We have opposed this three times,” Judith Robinson said. The city Historical Commission approved the Diamond Street Corridor project.
Judith Robinson, a preservation advocate and member of the 32nd Ward Registered Community Organization, has appealed the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s approval last month of the construction of a new public safety building at 2100 Diamond St. in North Philadelphia.
The approval was a reversal of the agency’s 2020 decision denying the application because of the city’s failure to engage the community in the process and because the project was deemed a poor fit for a residential community.
“We have opposed this three times,” Robinson fumed. She is frustrated that the project could keep coming back for reconsideration despite community opposition.
The Historical Commission has jurisdiction over the review of the building permit application because 21st and Diamond is part of the Diamond Street Historic Corridor.
According to Jon Farnham, executive director of the Historical Commission, the appeal will be heard by the Philadelphia Board of License and Inspection Review (BLIR), which hears appeals of various city agency decisions.
“If the BLIR sustains the appeal, the Historical Commission’s approval of the project will be overturned. In that case, the applicant would need to seek a new approval from the Historical Commission to proceed with a project at the site,” Farnham said in an email.
An appeal hearing has not yet been scheduled, but this guarantees that the controversy surrounding the longtime project will continue.
In 2020 there was an outpouring of opposition against putting the police building on Diamond Street.
New plans were submitted. A third of the proposed 30,000-square-foot facility, now called the North Philadelphia Public Safety Complex, would be for the Police Department. The rest of the facility would be public space with outdoor green space, a community room, and a new Police Athletic League (PAL) center. PAL, which was started in 1947, uses police officers, civilians, and volunteers to provide sports, cultural, and educational activities for youth ages 6 to 18.
City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, whose district covers the 22nd Police District, said he “enthusiastically supported” the new plan. Clarke said the new proposal provided a better architectural fit with the neighborhood and added community services.
“My reason for supporting it is the [22nd District] police station is one of the worst [public] facilities in the city,” said Ruth Birchett, the founder of Heritage Community Development Corp.
The Diamond Street corridor was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1986, but many of the once-elegant homes were deteriorating even then. The Department of Licenses and Inspections cited these buildings as “imminently dangerous.” Entire blocks of houses were demolished, resulting in the empty lot where the city wants to put the new public safety facility.
“Diamond Street lost its historic value to the wrecking ball,” Birchett said.
Robinson, the preservation advocate, believes that Diamond Street could become a significant tourist attraction for history buffs.
Though financial support for renovation of Diamond Street has been slow, City Council just announced that Tanner House at 2908 W. Diamond St. might receive $150,000 to aid its restoration. Tanner House was home to the renowned African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner. His work resides in the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
» READ MORE: The historic Tanner House might receive $150K from the city for preservation efforts
“Hopefully it is a turning point where we will realize the importance of these historic preservation sites, especially in the African American community that doesn’t get the kind of attention we know we need to have,” Robinson said.