‘Not salvageable’: Inside William Way’s decision to build a new Center City headquarters

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After a yearslong preservation campaign, the longtime home of the William Way LGBT Community Center is now set to be demolished and replaced with a new headquarters for the venerable nonprofit.

The project at 1315 Spruce St. also calls for roughly 40 affordable apartments for older adults.

“We get to help a community-based nonprofit that’s been in the neighborhood for years … and we get to provide affordable housing for seniors in a really nice neighborhood that has all kinds of amenities,” said David Cleghorn, president of New York-based HELP Development Corp.

Cleghorn’s company is teaming up with the Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund, the group behind the LGBTQ-friendly John C. Anderson Apartments, to complete the new development.

The decision to demolish followed months of uncertainty and about a decade’s worth of patchwork repairs to the 135-year-old Gayborhood property.

In the end, experts told board members the building couldn’t be saved due to extensive water damage it had sustained over the years. The center then decided to take it down.

“People are having very strong reactions to the building, but I think it’s important to understand that the William Way is not the building, the William Way is the community we serve and that we are striving our best as a 501(c)(3) to meet our mission,” said Laura Ryan, who co-chairs the William Way’s board of directors.

Here’s what else to know:

What is William Way’s proposal?

Plans for the project are in flux, but the new building is expected to have five or six stories, said Cleghorn.

William Way is slated to occupy the first two floors. The affordable units would sit above the center and be available to households earning up to 50% of the area median income. That translates to $41,800 for an individual.

“To have the opportunity to build affordable housing in one of the highest-earning ZIP codes of the city is really a great opportunity, because way too often affordable housing is sort of pushed to the fringes of neighborhoods,” Cleghorn said.

It will be some time before construction gets underway.

Developers hope to subsidize the project through the state’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which is not expected to start accepting new applications until the fall. It will then be another few months until the latest round of funding is awarded.

If everything goes well, construction could start toward the end of 2027.

“That would be the best-case scenario,” Cleghorn said.

The entire project — demolition and construction — is expected to take 20 to 24 months to complete. It’s unclear if the proposal will require a zoning variance — permission to deviate from the law — to proceed.

In the meantime, the center remains closed to the public.

For the foreseeable future, its empowerment programs will continue operating out of The Church of St. Luke and The Epiphany, located around the corner at 330 S. 13th St. The list includes an initiative serving older adults who are queer, a resource center for the transgender community and the center’s peer counseling program.

The center will offer arts and cultural programming at off-site locations throughout 2026.

When the new headquarters opens, the goal is to have everything under one roof. And the center is not expected to have a mortgage payment on the new space.

“This is the opportunity to provide a home for William Way and its services for the next generation,” said Dan Anders, a vice chair of the DMH Fund.

How did we get here?

William Way bought the property on Spruce Street in 1996.

About a decade ago, the center launched a fundraising campaign to stabilize and redevelop its longtime home. But the effort failed to garner enough money to make all of the necessary repairs, including to the roof, walls and windows.

The water damage, which worsened with every rain, had also yielded a mold problem, and the building’s electrical system was in poor condition.

In June, the center announced it would be listing the property for sale.

“While parts of the building reopened in January 2026 for limited use, it was determined that more than $3.5 million in immediate repairs would be needed before any broader redevelopment could proceed,” reads part of a statement posted online.

By late November, the organization was preparing to permanently shutter the center’s Spruce Street headquarters.

The nonprofit then briefly reversed its decision before ultimately deciding to move forward with demolishing the property.

“We weren’t totally sure yet what we were going to do. But as we’ve had architects and so forth walk through the building, they’ve told us it’s not salvageable,” said Dave Huting, who chairs the center’s board with Ryan.

The center’s decision to redevelop the site, first reported by Philadelphia Gay News, was announced during a gala celebrating the publication’s 50th anniversary. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed their support for the development during the event.

The proposal is also backed by City Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district contains the center.

“It’s a great plan to keep William Way at its current location and be able to provide affordable senior housing for people who otherwise will not be able to live in the neighborhood,” Squilla said.

“They still have to meet with the community to go over their plans,” he added.

The center may also need to go before the Philadelphia Historical Commission to seek permission to demolish and redevelop the site.

In September 2024, the center became part of the Washington Square West Historic District, a collection of 1,441 properties spanning more than two centuries.

A judge recently struck down the designation after neighbors sued the commission, but the city is appealing. A spokesperson said the decision essentially places “a stay on the reversal ruling.”

Designated properties are protected against demolition unless the commission grants permission to take down a structure.

In the meantime, preservationists are seeking more info about William Way’s decision.

“I have reached out to center leadership to request a meeting to learn more about what’s behind this decision and why they decided that the existing structure has to go. And also to discuss what degree of preservation that they may already may be considering or that they would be willing to consider,” said Paul Steinke, executive director the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, which nominated the district with the Washington Square West Civic Association.