City Orders 2122 Locust Facade Be Saved

A four-alarm blaze gutted the building, and preservationists worried it would be completely demolished. L&I's order saves the building's intricate facade.

The exterior of 2122 Locust will be saved while its inside is demolished. Photo |Matt Sheridan

The exterior of 2122 Locust will be saved while its inside is demolished. Photo | Matt Sheridan

The Department of Licenses and Inspections has ordered the owner of 2122 Locust Street to preserve the facade of the building when demolition takes place.

The move was announced in a press release issued by L&I this morning.

Designed by Baker & Dallett and built in 1899, 2122 Locust, originally the Charles F. Gumney house, is part of the Rittenhouse-Fitler Historic District. A four-alarm blaze last month heavily damaged the building, and neighbors worried that the city would declare it unsalvageable and order it demolished completely.

Instead, L&I has directed the owner to apply for permits to demolish all but the facade. Demolition will be performed by hand by a contractor capable of doing such work, and the contractor must have a trained site safety manager present at all times.

“Once the project is underway,” L&I Commissioner David Perri said in the release, “our inspectors will be out there regularly to monitor compliance with rigorous City safety requirements.”