Construction debris falls through the roof of West Philly’s University Lutheran Church
Landmark Properties' forthcoming student housing tower experienced an unspecified accident Wednesday that damaged the neighboring church.
Materials from a new student housing tower crashed through the roof of University Lutheran Church at 3637 Chestnut St. Wednesday morning, damaging the Modernist building designed by a famed midcentury architect.
Only three people were in the building at the time, and none of them were injured.
The fallen equipment broke through the ceiling in the front of the church, piercing the roof and leaving the floor strewn with rubble.
“We give thanks to God that no one was injured, and we pray for continued safety for our neighborhood and all involved in the project,” said Pastor Meagan Esterby, in a text message. “We are working with the developer on repairs to our building and to implement additional safety procedures.”
The neighboring building, 3615-3635 Chestnut St., will be known as The Mark. It is a student housing tower, still under construction, from Georgia-based Landmark Properties.
“We have paused construction until we are certain that all equipment is working as it should and that no processes need to change,” said a Landmark spokesperson in an email message on Friday. “Landmark Properties will cooperate with any investigations into this matter and will ensure that any necessary repairs to the adjacent structure are made as soon as possible.”
Landmark contractors have already patched the ceiling as a temporary fix. The city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections is conducting an ongoing investigation and several violations have been issued, although the department did not give details and the forms are not yet available online.
The University Lutheran Church has been cleared for use, although the northwest corner of its entry way is cordoned off.
The church was designed by Italian architect Pietro Belluschi, known locally for the Rohm and Haas building.