December 18, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Bank puts up funds to save historic Garrett-Dunn House
by JOEL HOFFMANN

National Penn Bank has promised $20,000 to seal the historic Garrett-Dunn house. The house has been exposed since contruction at the site stopped in April. (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

Philadelphia history buffs can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The Garrett-Dunn House, a 19th century landmark in Mt. Airy, will remain standing despite sustaining structural damage after construction crews left its lathwork exposed in April.

The contractors stopped working because local developer John J. Capoferri had run out of money for a renovation project at the site, 7048 Germantown Ave., where he had planned to turn the existing house and barn into five luxury residences. Fourteen new town houses were also slated for the property, according to the developer’s Web site.

Fortunately, damage to the property was less severe than city inspectors had expected, according to Plan Philly, a blog published by the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design.

In his piece, Plan Philly correspondent Matt Golas recounted the testimony of Assistant City Solicitor Leonard Reuter, who told a common pleas court judge last week that overhanging eaves on the roof had deflected heavy rains and minimized water damage.

Reuter told the judge that National Penn Bank, Capoferri’s mortgage holder for the property, would cover the cost of sealing windows on the house and wrapping it with thick plastic sheeting to shield the lathwork.

Bryan Lebo, a spokesman for National Penn Bank, said last week that negotiations were underway to ensure that the property would be protected this winter. Reuter has estimated the cost at under $20,000, according to Plan Philly.

Lebo could not say when the protective measures would be taken. He said he could not comment on the bank’s dealings with Capoferri.

Plan Philly reported that National Penn had offered Capoferri a $6 million open-ended mortgage for the property, but Capoferri has only borrowed $1.6 million to date.

In October, National Penn filed a civil complaint against Capoferri, seeking $1.6 million in damages for failure to make payments on the loan. The complaint was one of 12 that have been brought against Capoferri since February. The damages being sought from Capoferri by all litigants totals at least $4.45 million, according to city civil court records.

A new civil complaint, filed by Reuter and posted on the Plan Philly Web site, urges the city to fine Capoferri at least $100,000 for neglecting to repair the “collapsed” rear wall of the Garrett-Dunn house, the collapsed north wall of the barn and “deteriorated” front and side walls on the house. The charges against him also include “failure to preserve and protect Historic property,” as designated by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

City building code violations were discovered during a Sept. 26 inspection of the property, according to the complaint. A violation notice was delivered to Capoferri on Oct. 2.

The complaint also states that the current condition of the property “presents a serious and immediate hazard to the safety, health and welfare of the public.”

Capoferri did not attend the preliminary hearing last week, according to Plan Philly.

Reuter said he was unable to provide further details about the litigation when reached for comment.

The possibility of putting a court-appointed trustee in control of the property will be discussed at a city Common Pleas Court hearing scheduled for Jan. 6, 2009, according to Plan Philly.