Two Doomed Buildings Draw a Last-Ditch Plea

By Inga Saffron

Inquirer Architecture Critic

On a day when the Preservation Alliance had expected to be in a Harrisburg courtroom pleading its case for saving two historic buildings on North Broad Street, a crowd of mourners gathered instead to lay flowers at the base of the condemned structures.

. . .Although the alliance decided not to appeal Quigley's ruling, many came out in the freezing weather in the hope of persuading Gov. Rendell to issue a reprieve. Others just wanted a last look at the pair, once home to Philadelphia Life Insurance Co.

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Razing of Historic Buildings on N. Broad St.

By Inga Saffron
Inquirer Architecture Critic

A wrecking ball began taking down two historic Broad Street buildings yesterday as part of the Convention Center's expansion, nine days after a Commonwealth Court judge issued a controversial ruling giving Pennsylvania officials the go-ahead.

. . . Late last year, DGS (Department of General Services) announced it would not honor a 2004 preservation agreement signed by the Convention Center Authority and the state Historical and Museum Commission. That action prompted strong protests from the Preservation Alliance, the Design Advocacy Group, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and others complaining it would make future compromises impossible.

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