4054 CHESTNUT ST Proposed Action: Rescission Property Owner: Eapen Kalathil Staff Contact: Jon Farnham, [email protected], 215-686-7660 OVERVIEW: This application proposes to rescind the historic designation of 4054 Chestnut Street, a property which was designated as historic and listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places on 8 July 2016. At that time, the Commission found that the property satisfied Criteria for Designation A, C, D, G, and J. The property owner claims that the property is “largely devoid of character-defining features.” Section 14-1004(5) of the historic preservation ordinance stipulates that “any designation of a building … as historic may be amended or rescinded in the same manner as is specified for designation.” Section 5.14.b.1 of the Rules & Regulations stipulates that the Commission may rescind the designation of a building … and remove its entry or entries from the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places if: a. the resource has ceased to satisfy any Criteria for Designation because the qualities that caused its original entry have been lost or destroyed; b. additional information shows that the resource does not satisfy one or more Criteria for Designation; or, c. the Commission committed an error in professional judgment when it determined that the resource satisfied one or more Criteria for Designation. Section 5.14.b.2 of the Rules & Regulations requires that “a person who seeks to have a designation rescinded shall make a written and documented submission to the Commission that demonstrates one of the three bases cited in Section 5.14.b.1 of these Rules & Regulations. The content of such a submission may vary from case to case. For example, a demonstration of the loss or destruction of qualities may require a report by a structural engineer.” STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The staff recommended to the Committee on Historic Designation at its June 2016 meeting that the nomination demonstrates that the property at 4054 Chestnut Street satisfies Criteria for Designation A, C, D, and J. The staff contends that the property owner has failed to make a written and documented submission to the Commission that demonstrates that one of the three bases enumerated in Section 5.14.b.1 is satisfied. PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION RECORD OF THE DESIGNATION OF 4054 CHESTNUT STREET Nomination 1. Nomination, submitted to Historical Commission on 10 May 2016 Documents generated by the Historical Commission 2. First Notice Letters, Historical Commission to Property Owner, 16 May 2016 3. Historical Commission Overview included with First Notice Letters 4. Committee on Historic Designation Minute, 15 June 2016 5. Historical Commission Minute, 8 July 2016 6. Final Notice Letters, Historical Commission to Property Owner, 20 July 2016 7. Historical Commission Overview included with Final Notice Letters PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION RECORD OF THE DESIGNATION OF 4054 CHESTNUT STREET EXHIBIT 1 NOMINATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING, STRUCTURE, SITE, OR OBJECT PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION SUBMIT ALL ATTACHED MATERIALS ON PAPER AND IN ELECTRONIC FORM ON CD (MS WORD FORMAT) 1. ADDRESS OF HISTORIC RESOURCE (must comply with an Office of Property Assessment address) Street address: 4054 Chestnut Street Postal code: 19104 Councilmanic District: 2. NAME OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Historic Name: 4054 Chestnut Street of the Thomas H. Powers Development: Nos. 4046-4060 Chestnut Street Common Name: 4054 Chestnut Street 3. TYPE OF HISTORIC RESOURCE X Building Structure Site Object 4. PROPERTY INFORMATION Condition: excellent good fair poor ruins Occupancy: occupied vacant under construction unknown Current use: Apartment House 5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Please attach a plot plan and written description of the boundary. SEE ATTACHED SHEET. 6. DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHED SHEET. Please attach a description of the historic resource and supplement with current photographs. 7. SIGNIFICANCE Please attach the Statement of Significance. [See Attached Sheet] Period of Significance (from year to year): from 1872 to 1921 Date(s) of construction and/or alteration: 1872-1876 Architect, engineer, and/or designer: Unknown Builder, contractor, and/or artisan: Unknown Original owner: Thomas H. Powers Other significant persons: Unknown CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION: The historic resource satisfies the following criteria for designation (check all that apply): X (a) Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or, (b) Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or X (c) Reflects the environment in an era characterized by a distinctive architectural style; or, X (d) Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or engineering specimen; or, (e) Is the work of a designer, architect, landscape architect or designer, or engineer whose work has significantly influenced the historical, architectural, economic, social, or cultural development of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, (f) Contains elements of design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant innovation; or, X (g) Is part of or related to a square, park or other distinctive area which should be preserved according to an historic, cultural or architectural motif; or, (h) Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community or City; or, (i) Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in pre-history or history; or X (j) Exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historical heritage of the community. 8. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Please attach a bibliography. SEE ATTACHED SHEET. 9. NOMINATOR AARON WUNSCH, HISTORIAN ELIZABETH STEGNER, PRESIDENT Name with Title Oscar Beisert, Historian Email [email protected] Organization University City Historical Society Date 10 May 2016. Street Address P.O. Box 31927 Telephone (215) 387-3019 City, State, and Postal Code: Philadelphia, PA 19104 Nominators are not the property owners. PHC USE ONLY Date of Receipt:_______________________________________________________________________ Correct-Complete Incorrect-Incomplete Date:_________________________________ Date of Notice Issuance:_________________________________________________________________ Property Owner at Time of Notice Name:_________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ City:_______________________________________ State:____ Postal Code:_________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Committee on Historic Designation:____________________________________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Historical Commission:______________________________________________ Date of Final Action:____________________________________________________________________ Designated Rejected 4/11/13 5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION The boundary description of the 4054 Chestnut Street is as follows: ALL THAT CERTAIN lot or piece of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, described according to a Survey and Plan thereof made by G. L. Martin, Esquire, Surveyor and Regulator of the Twelfth Survey District, on the Eleventh day of August, A. D. 1920, as follows, to with: BEGINNING at a point on the South side of Chestnut Street at the distance of seventy-five feet Eastward from the East side of Forty-first Street in the Twenty-seventh Ward of the City of Philadelphia. CONTAINING in front or breadth on the said Chestnut Street twenty-five feet and extending of that width in length or depth Southward between lines at right angles to the said Chestnut Street one hundred twenty-nine feet nine inches. BEING known as No. 4054 Chestnut Street. Lot No. 88 Tax Account No. BRT NO. 88-1602900 The lot numbers related to 4042-4060 Chestnut Street. Courtesy City of Philadelphia. Thomas H. Powers Development: Nos. 4046-4060 Chestnut Street, West Philadelphia Nomination to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, May 2016 – Page 1 The boundary for the subject property is in red. Courtesy Philadelphia Water. Thomas H. Powers Development: Nos. 4046-4060 Chestnut Street, West Philadelphia Nomination to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, May 2016 – Page 2 Looking south. Courtesy Oscar Beisert. 6. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Located on the south side of Chestnut Street below 41st Street, 4054 Chestnut Street and 4056 Chestnut Street comprise the east and west sides of a semi-detached twin that stands in a row of twin houses the comprise the Thomas H. Powers Development: 4046-4060 Chestnut Street. The houses stand three-and-one-half stories tall, measure three bays across, and are built of primarily of red brick. Originally, the main section of each house featured a side-gable roof with paired end chimneys and a central dormer; (this is no longer the case at 4054, where the gable roof has been eliminated in favor of a flat one). A five-bay service wing originally extended south from the main block, dropping from three to two stories in the terminal bay. Built in pairs, each wing had a shed roof that formed a gable with its adjoining neighbor. This gable ran perpendicular to the main roof and dropped to a low hip above the terminal bay. 4050 retains its