STRATEGIC PRESERVATION

Constructed in 1876, this building originally housed the West Philadelphia Institute, an early precursor to the Philadelphia Free Library. Attributed to the architect Frank Furness, the brick masonry structure featured a library and classrooms on the ground floor and a lecture hall above. The one extant photograph of the original facade shows different details than the rendering, with unadorned arched windows, two chimneys, and a corbelled cornice. In 1926, the building was renovated by the Philadelphia Electric Company for use as an office and showroom, adding a third story within the double-height lecture hall, expanded storefronts with copper canopies, and a coat of white paint on the exterior brick. A consortium of healthcare non-profits acquired the building in the early 1970s for use as a community health and training center, completing another major renovation that covered the facade with corrugated brown metal panels and infilled the majority of the storefront with CMU block. A strategic approach to the building’s re-use restored elements that had been preserved and replaced elements that had been destroyed, re-activating the building’s public corner and enhancing accessibility.