PHA's controversial new headquarters on hold

When the Philadelphia Housing Authority unveiled its plan for a glass-front, $20 million headquarters on Chestnut Street near 20th, historic preservationists cringed.

They dismissed it as too modern, too sleek - as out of place in its brick-and-limestone surroundings as a woman in a power suit amid ladies in crinoline.

This was, after all, a national historic district, one celebrating the commercial history of Philadelphia from the early 20th century.

"Do you see anything with huge glass windows or very contemporary character around here?" asked John Gallery, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, as he stood across from the PHA site at 2012 Chestnut St.

The stewards of Philadelphia's historic buildings can breathe easier.

Given all the tumult at PHA the last 10 months - from the firing of executive director Carl R. Greene amid sexual-harassment accusations to multiple federal investigations - the agency is putting the project on hold.

Michael P. Kelly, PHA's new top official, said the millions earmarked for headquarters would stay in the bank for the time being.

PHA's senior management works out of leased space at 12 S. 23d St., and "the impetus for getting out of here is a strong one," Kelly said in an interview. "But frankly, the timing is such that I don't see the idea of moving our administrative office while the agency is in recovery as a good one."

Overall, the pace of development will slow this year for PHA, Kelly said.

Coming off a gangbuster year, fueled by an extra $127 million in federal stimulus funding, PHA plans to spend $62 million on capital projects and new development in the fiscal year that will start Friday, Kelly said.

The biggest project on the books - at $31 million - is replacing the Queen Lane high-rise with 55 residential units.

Kelly said PHA still planned to participate in a joint project to build a community center as part of the Lucien E. Blackwell development in West Philadelphia, but not in the year ahead, as previously thought.

Other projects on indefinite hold include PHA's involvement in building a charter school and dormitory in West Philadelphia.

"That's not on our radar screen right now," Kelly said.

He said he remained committed to building a headquarters in Center City. But if PHA resumes work on the project, he promised to work more closely with preservationists and neighborhood groups on the design.

PHA, Kelly added, "will make sure their voices are heard in the process."

Gallery finds this new tone at PHA refreshing. He met Kelly and the PHA staff in January, along with representatives of the Center City Residents' Association, Philadelphia Historical Commission, and National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Kelly, Gallery said, "conveyed a very different attitude and feeling about the situation than we got from PHA before that."

The pugnacious Greene had built a reputation in the city as a developer who fought to get what he wanted.

The original plan, introduced in 2009, called for PHA to raze its vacant, four-story brick office building, built in 1927. The agency wanted to build a five-story replacement structure, incorporating an adjacent vacant lot.

The design featured long, black windows; private indoor parking for a dozen cars; a rooftop terrace; and a $372,000 green roof.

Listed on the National Register, the Center City West Commercial Historic District stretches roughly from 15th to 21st Street and from Walnut to Chestnut. Many of the surrounding buildings are two- to four-story rowhouses with shop fronts.

Gallery said the streetscape reflected the evolution of commerce in Philadelphia, with a mix of everything from Victorian to art deco buildings.

Since PHA receives federal funding, it cannot demolish a building in a historic district without including interested parties like the Preservation Alliance in the review process.

When that process began last summer, Gallery was girding for a "difficult" tug-of-war with Greene and PHA.

He said he was "delighted" by Kelly's approach.

"When you're in a historic district, you need to find a balance and respect the character of the district," Gallery said. "That's what we're trying to get to."