Preservation Update: Assumption Church added to the register

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The Church of the Assumption, 1133 Spring Garden St., has been listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, halting plans for demolition by its owner, the non-profit social services organization Siloam.

The church was added to the Register by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on May 8. Andrew Palewski, a neighborhood resident, has led a battle to preserve the structure, which was built in 1848 by Patrick Charles Keely, a prolific ecclesiastical architect. Palewski gathered the support of the West Poplar and Callowhill communities, and he argued that the church was a neighborhood landmark and “cherished cultural asset.”

Siloam, a wellness center for people living with HIV/AIDS, had purchased the property from the Archdiocese several years ago and had planned to raze the building for parking and other uses.

Posted by Alan Jaffe

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