Demolition of historic Norristown prison is put on hold as alternatives are sought

The long-vacant Airy Street prison in Norristown — seen by some as a monument to injustice and by others as an architectural gem — got a temporary reprieve Monday.

Montgomery County announced that it is asking the Norristown Municipal Council to delay approval of a demolition permit for the Airy Street landmark.

The announcement came on the eve of an election that could determine whether Democrats retain or Republicans retake control of Montgomery County government. It took some local preservation advocates by surprise.

The county owns the prison and will seek proposals for reuse of the oldest, most architecturally portions of the facility, according to the announcement. The municipal council had been expected to vote on demolition as early as Wednesday.

“Our goal has always been to further spur [Norristown’s] revitalization and benefit the entire community,” outgoing county commission chair Kenneth E. Lawrence, a Democrat who has been a fierce opponent of preserving the prison, said in a statement.

» READ MORE: Kenneth E. Lawrence: The former Montgomery County prison is a monument to injustice

The county is inviting “anyone who has a viable plan to reuse the space to step forward for consideration,” Lawrence said.

In the statement, Commissioner Jamila H. Winder, like Lawrence a Democrat and earlier preservation opponent, said: “We’ve heard the people of Norristown and the surrounding community. We want to ensure we’re doing our due diligence.” Winder is seeking reelection.

The county “wants to see what developers, if any, have any interest in it. There hasn’t been any interest for 36 years, but what’s one more year?” Council President Tom Lepera said.

A preservation opponent who has described the Gothic landmark as a place “that disproportionately locked up Black and brown people,” Lepera also said a delay would not impede the municipality’s ongoing efforts to improve the downtown.

Vacant since the 1980s, the prison was designed by Napoleon LeBrun, who also designed Philadelphia’s Academy of Music, and has become the focus of a grassroots preservation campaign.

» READ MORE: At Norristown forum, calls to preserve historic county prison others view as relic of racism

“Good news! The county has backed off on the demolition permit for now,” said Doug Seiler, an architect and longtime advocate of saving, and repurposing, the prison.

“I think now is a good time for [preservation supporters] to petition the county to remediate hazmats at the building,” he said. “It’s their mess, they should clean it up. It’s a necessary step for reuse.”

Montgomery County spokesperson Megan Alt said the county “is not making any adjustments to our budget until we see the outcome of the [requests for information] process.”

The reprieve “will create a space to have a community conversation that did not happen before [the county pursued razing the prison] and still needs to happen,” community organizer David McMahon said.

Said Olivia Brady, another leader of the “Save the Prison” effort: “Ultimately, we could have our worse fears realized. But I’m cautiously optimistic that an adaptive reuse can be found for this building.”

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia also welcomed the announcement.

“We are relieved and grateful that the county has elected to press pause … [and] perform their due diligence on this historic property,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of the alliance.

Steinke said a “preservation-forward adaptive reuse plan” would “result in a distinctive project that will be the pride of Norristown and Montgomery County.”

Alt, the spokesperson, said the county expects to announce the timing for issuing the RFIs by the end of this year.

This story has been updated.