By July 16, the building that was once 6657-59 Blakemore St. was reduced to rubble. 

The three-story apartment complex was torn down by FH Demolition, razing a stone and stucco building that had included eight units behind a facade accented with painted wood trim. Built in the 1920s, the building in East Mt. Airy was abandoned for years, rendered uninhabitable by extensive fire and water damage.

"Despite the community's desire for this block to be preserved; a conservator's willingness to repurpose the buildings; and a pending historic district nomination, PHA acts like the developer that it is and destroys another intact block," historic preservationist Oscar Beisert argued in a July 1 Facebook post.

The story of 6657-59 Blakemore is shared by a series of blighted properties once owned by the defunct social services agency Germantown Settlement, or companies tied to the agency’s leader, developer Emanuel Freeman. 

Freeman oversaw hundreds of affordable housing units, building many with the help of government loans. In 2009, the Blakemore Street complex, referred to as “Blakestone Housing,” was listed in a publication funded by the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Housing and Community Development outlining privately owned subsidized rental units available for people who are disabled.  

Designed by developer Eugene K. Davis in the early 20th century, Blakemore Street is the site of an array of single-family homes on its northwest side and 30 multi-unit Tudor-style apartment buildings on its northeast. The 6657 Blakemore Street building shares an entryway with the 6655 building leading to an oval-shaped courtyard. Beyond the courtyard lies a backyard of ample greenspace.

But tenants in buildings controlled by Freeman often dealt with unreliable heat and water services, trash that piled up in common areas and complaints that went unanswered. In 2020, after a lengthy legal battle with Freeman, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) seized blighted properties including the Blakemore Street apartments that were tied to Freeman and the nonprofit, which closed in 2010. 

Inside the apartment building, according to a 2021 report submitted to the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, the Blakemore Street structure had sustained  “severe fire and water damage” with damaged plumbing, insulation, exhaust systems, walls, ceilings and floors. An estimated $1.136 million would be needed to renovate the building, the report said.

City officials made the decision to tear down the complex and plan to redevelop the property. Several community meetings were organized to discuss plans for the parcel and other PRA properties, addressing issues such as developer options, homeownership opportunities and affordable housing.

Beisert, an organizer with historic preservationist group The Keeping Society of Philadelphia, objected to the plan to demolish it. In the July 1 Facebook post, he continued, “It is disgusting to watch the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Authority destroy the corner buildings of this completely intact block of Tudor Revival apartment houses on Blakemore Street …. It's truly disgusting to see people with no understanding of architecture or design continue to ruin our beautiful city.” 

The PRA declined to comment due to pending litigation regarding the property. In April, a status hearing was scheduled to consider a community group’s petition to take control of several blighted properties including those on Blakemore Street.

Blakemore Street neighbors are concerned about redevelopment with some neighbors in favor of building on the property and some opposed. “We don’t want it [the new development] … we’re already struggling with parking," said Amia Stewart, a Blakemore Street homeowner who has lived in the neighborhood for nearly 9 years. Some neighbors are considering relocating. “I have two neighbors: one just moved out, and the next one said she’s getting ready to contact her realtor because [the neighborhood] changes so much and it’s becoming an inconvenience,” Stewart said. A potential increase in property taxes is an additional concern. 

In a last-minute effort to preserve the building, the Keeping Society nominated the street as a historic district in April. On July 16, the Philadelphia Historical Commission hosted a public hearing to review the Blakemore Street nomination, which, if granted, would impose restrictions on future changes to Blakemore Street properties in the district. 

During the proceedings, Angel Rodriguez, deputy executive director of the PRA, argued that the building’s inclusion in the district would hinder the proposed implementation of Philadelphia’s “Turn the Key" program — an initiative that aims to make affordable housing accessible to underserved communities and individuals. He asked that the Blakemore Street property be removed from the proposed historic district arguing that given a lack of  “historical resource on the property,” its inclusion would not be justified. 

By a unanimous vote, the Historical Commission passed the motion to include Blakemore Street in the Philadelphia Registry of Historic Places based on historic and cultural relevance, characteristic, and architecture style. But the district will not include 6657-9 Blakemore Street, the commission ruled, even though the shared entryway and adjacent courtyard were deemed part of the district and, by then, the apartment buildings had already been leveled. 

WHYY contributed to this report.