New Hope for the Lincoln

PhillyHistory.org

Hidden City had some good news to share from Washington Square West yesterday. The long neglected shell of the Lincoln Building at Locust and Camac has a new owner.

Pelican Properties purchased the property at 1222 Locust Street in September, and Cecil Baker & Partners have secured a permit to reconstruct the building from the inside out, salvaging the façade.

A massive fire gutted the building in 2006 and it has since been embattled with insurance companies, the source of safety violations, and unclear and neglectful ownership.

Pearlman has not presented a proposal to the Washington Square West Civic Association, but the association's president, Clay Scherer stated that the redevelopment is unlikely to see any resistance.

In fact, the blighted property has become a nuisance, home to squatters, drug dealers, and vandals scarring the otherwise quaint block of Camac Street. Residents have been eager to see the property salvaged in some way, but even more eager to see the corner once again occupied.