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The Divine Lorraine isn't the only beleaguered relic on Philadelphia's once - and briefly - grand North Broad Street. And I'm not just referring to the building's time worn glory, but also the development hell in which it sits.
The Metropolitan Opera House, which is probably more remembered for its role in 12 Monkeys than any opera it ever showed, stands nearby, barely recognizable from its former panache.
Both are owned by developer Eric Blumenfeld, and both sit under giant question marks.
The Metropolitan Opera House's ownership is a unique headache. Previously owned by the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center at the Met, Inc.," presided over by Reverend Mark Hatcher, many were under the impression that the theater's renovation was to be a joint venture between the church and the developer.
Say what you will about an "incorporated" church, the agreement certainly reeks of a shady deal.
According to a recent article in the Daily News, Hatcher relinquished the $20M building's title to Blumenfeld for $1 in 2013. Whether or not the deal was insidious will be up to the courts. Hatcher is currently suing Eric Blumenfeld for fraud.
Considering developers typically have a team of lawyers allocated to just this sort of claim, it may come down to one very expensive case of "seller beware." But as ridiculous as it is that a church is operating out of the basement of a building so large, and as naive as Hatcher may have been to assume that Blumenfeld ever saw a place for his church in such a costly project, I doubt Blumenfeld will ultimately wind up keeping the title for $1.
But just look at the building's condition. There is no way the building's proposed $10M renovation could cover the cost of truly restoring the opera house without divine intervention, perhaps something Hatcher was hoping for.
Philadelphia has demolished bigger buildings in better condition, and in better neighborhoods well within the 21st Century. Did Eric Blumenfeld ever intend on getting into the theater business, or did he take advantage of someone sitting on a piece of property in a part of the city just begging to pop?
While North Broad Street is technically part of the Avenue of the Arts, much of its presence is in name only. North Broad has found itself hosting every stage in the evolution of the American city. It was crisscrossed by industry throughout the 19th Century, its north central points home to Philadelphia's elite during the early 20th Century, it's been lined with grand hotels, and hosted grand houses of art like the Metropolitan Opera.
Unfortunately it quickly declined following the Great Depression. Its beautiful hotels became flop houses, its mansions were abandoned or burned, while residents left amongst its decline turned to religion, converting the Met into a church and the Divine Lorraine into a refuge for the uniquely devout.
Like much of the city north of Vine Street, officials accumulated vacant land for urban necessities. The Vine Street Expressway sutured the north side of town from its siblings in Center City, exasperating the region's decline. Vast tracks of land were razed for public housing and Temple's campus began to wall itself from its neighbors.
West Philadelphia saw paralleled decline, but its wealthy universities have since helped transform it into one of Philadelphia's more prominent addresses. With the help of interested developers, North Broad Street could soon see a similar renaissance. Bart Blatstein's Tower Place at Broad and Spring Garden has brought new life to a once sketchy corner, new development is inching its way eastward from Eastern State Penitentiary and along Ridge Avenue, and Eric Blumenfeld is securing funding for the rebirth of the Divine Miss L.
But the city is also excited about the potential rebirth of Philadelphia's once great, now forgotten corridor. Councilman Darrell Clarke is working with developers to create a non-profit organization to assist with its redevelopment, including tax abatements and loans to incentivize growth.
Change.org petitions have become the white noise of armchair activists, so it's no surprise that Eric Blumenfeld was taken back when Philly.com asked him about Caryn Kunkle's online petition to convert his Divine Lorraine into a modern art space.
In fact what he sayed was, "I'm shocked this is news." What might be more shocking is that Eric Blumenfeld was even aware of the petition. But Blumenfeld wasn't just familiar with the petition, but Kunkle herself. He offered her space inside the former Metropolitan Opera House, another landmark he's redeveloping. She declined, opting instead to seek twelve stories of free space in a government seized Divine Lorraine.
Her knowledge of economics may be as dim as her understanding of property law, suggesting on her petition, "Rather than condos which will be impossible to make profit from due to the crippling costs of repair..."
Using profit as part of the argument is irrelevant. It's obvious Kunkle sees the space as a non-profit, perhaps even government owned public space. However, even if the city did take the petition seriously, Philly.com pointed out she has no business model.
She also ignored the fact, or was perhaps unaware, that Blumenfeld plans to start renovations at the Divine Lorraine this year in conjunction with other North Broad improvements that include restoring the Metropolitan Opera House.
