Whose Story Gets Told?

I am an accidental preservationist. For this lifelong activist, the movement to save diverse places is about racial justice. It’s about staking African Americans’ claim to the American story.

In his remarks before the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual conference, Bryan Stevenson, founding director of the Equal Justice Initiative, spoke eloquently about the ways in which the built environment reflects social inequalities:

Identity matters. You can tell the identity of a nation by looking at what they honor. . . . There is power in memorialization. You preserve the things that matter. . . . We do an injustice when we tell stories about history that are incomplete.

From the Civil War to Civil Rights, Philadelphia’s historic resources tell a more complete American story. But in Philly, only two percent of historic properties are protected. Incredibly in the 1950s, City Hall narrowly escaped the wrecking ball. Much to the chagrin of city leaders, including Edmund Bacon, then-head of the Planning Commission, rehabilitation cost less than demolition. In other words, it was “cheaper to keep her.”

Fast forward to today, gentrification is laying bare Philadelphia’s culture of demolition. As I write this post, a developer is demolishing the church where Marian Anderson learned to sing and the congregation nurtured her talent. The world renowned contralto helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement.

The Royal Theater was a center of the African American community from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was Philly’s first and largest movie theater to cater exclusively to African Americans. Although it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Philadelphia Register, the historic property is about to undergo a “facadectomy.”

These places are at the intersection of historic preservation and social justice. The buildings’ social history of resistance and triumph is connected to contemporary issues, including gentrification, displacement, income inequality and social inequity. Truth be told, developers are deciding which places are important.

In Los Angeles and Phoenix adaptive reuse is a matter of public policy. Philadelphia’s culture of demolition has been exacerbated by the 10-year residential tax abatement which provides a perverse incentive for developers to tear down historic buildings.

To bring about policy changes, we must engage and empower accidental preservationists to become stewards of historical assets in their neighborhood.

Preservationist at Heart

As long as I can remember, I have loved old buildings and historic places. However, it was not until I moved to Philadelphia that historic preservation became a professional focus.

I’m a non-driver who walks a couple of miles every day. While out and about, I notice that murals are being torn down, blocked or trashed.

I also notice that developers are demolishing historic resources, including houses, movie theaters and the church where Marian Anderson learned to sing and the congregation nurtured her talent.

Philadelphia’s construction boom is fueled by the ill-conceived residential tax abatement. Historic structures are being lost because only new construction is exempt from taxes. And it’s not just happening in gentrifying neighborhoods. A developer wants to demolish the 113-year-old building that’s home to the Society Hill Playhouse to build condominiums for the one percent.

And then there’s Rev. Terrence Griffith, pastor of the First African Baptist Church, the oldest African American Baptist church in Pennsylvania and the fifth oldest in the country. The church has been continuously occupied since the Department of Licenses and Inspections filed a complaint in April. L&I is concerned about the 16th Street wall and parapet (see arrow). That section is separate from the building which houses the main sanctuary. The same sanctuary where Rev. Griffith held Sunday Worship today.

The ancestors are rolling their eyes at this out-of-order pastor who is hell-bent on selling the historic church to a developer who plans to demolish it.

Rev. Griffith ranted and raved before the Philadelphia Historical Commission, which voted to list the First African Baptist Church on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. In my comments before the vote, I noted:

With or without the east parapet, the First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia is a place where history happened. The church retains its historical significance to the development, heritage and cultural characteristics of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the nation.

He now has to investigate adaptive reuse of the historic structure. In an interview with Axis Philly in 2013, he acknowledged that repurposing should be considered:

If we do move, then we do want to preserve the history of this place [and] we will consider making the church a museum.

Rev. Griffith owes it to the ancestors to explore alternative uses for an edifice that was built with their blood, sweat and tears.

#ThisPlaceMatters: First African Baptist Church

I was awarded a Diversity Scholarship to attend PastForward 2015. The National Preservation Conference is the premier educational and networking event for those interested in saving places of historical significance. In the lead-up to the November conference, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has relaunched its “This Place Matters” campaign.

Philadelphia has thousands of places that matter, including First African Baptist Church, founded in 1809. The building at Christian and 16th Streets has been the congregation’s home since 1906.

In the application for designation in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, Oscar Beisert, an architectural historian, wrote:

The building at the southwest corner of Christian and 16th Streets was constructed in 1906, and is significant as one of the oldest purpose‐built African American houses of worship in Philadelphia, as well as the only extant building representing the oldest African Baptist congregation—First African Baptist, which was the fifth African American congregation to be founded in Philadelphia. The building at 1600‐06 Christian Street is the longest home of the congregation, who has worshiped in this space for over 100 years. Furthermore, the building represents an important community center in the local community from 1906 through the early twenty‐first century .

For members of First African Baptist Church who want to save this historic structure, the place that mattered last week was Courtroom 446 in City Hall, where a hearing was held on whether the property is an “imminent danger” to public safety.

The civil action was brought by the Department of Licenses and Inspections. L&I wants a court order to allow a structural engineer to inspect a parapet on 16th Street and make recommendations. It was noted that the church is occupied and continues to hold Sunday Service in the main sanctuary.

Although First African Baptist Church is the defendant, they didn’t put up much of a defense. Sharif Street, the church’s lawyer, repeatedly said they are “not seeking demolition.” Instead, they’re seeking demolition by neglect. Street made it clear the church does not want to pay for any repairs. The reason: The pastor, Rev. Terrence Griffith, wants to sell the church to a developer who plans to demolish it.

Rev. Griffith dismisses preservationists as “crusaders coming out of the woodwork.” I wonder whether he would include the presiding judge among the “crusaders.” In open court, Municipal Court Judge Craig M. Washington said:

It’s a very important building to America, not just to Philadelphia, not just to the Baptists.

Judge Washington granted the order. The engineer’s report is due Oct. 1, when the parties will be back in court.

In the meantime, the courtroom drama moves to the Court of Common Pleas. On June 26, 2015, Prudence Harvey and other First African Baptist Church members filed a lis pendens against Diversified Realty Ventures LLC and Rev. Griffith. In plain English, a lis pendens puts a prospective buyer on notice of a competing claim to real estate. Rev. Griffith says he’s been offered $3.2 million for the church. Time will tell whether that “binding” agreement is worth the paper it’s written on.

I asked Ms. Harvey what’s at stake:

For those folks who had put out blood, sweat and tears that was in itself significant and historic. It’s also considered historic nationwide. The building matters. That’s our legacy. If it is not your legacy, it doesn’t matter.

The nomination of First African Baptist Church will be considered by the Philadelphia Historical Commission Committee on Historic Designation on Sept. 16. I plan to offer public comment in support of the nomination. Yes, I’m on a crusade. It’s a crusade to honor our ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears. It’s also about honoring the legacy of the two congregants who voluntarily sold themselves into slavery to enable the third pastor, Rev. James Burrows, to lead First African Baptist Church.

If you want to join the crusade to save this historic place, get involved with Avenging the Ancestors Coalition Committee on Historic Preservation, which I chair. For more information, call (215) 552-8751 or follow me on Twitter.