Preservation Update: Assumption Church added to the register
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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