About a month ago, we told you about 1010 and 1012 S. 20th St., two long-blighted properties owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. Both properties had just been posted with notices from L&I suggesting insisting that PHA perform repairs on the buildings. Of particular concern was the corner property, which had three outstanding violations dating back to October 2012. Those violations included a bulged wall, loose brick, and a fractured wall, and as a result L&I declared the property unsafe.

A month ago

One would think that
back in February, when L&I noted that the “southern masonry wall has moved and is in danger of collapse,” PHA might have been motivated to do something about the building before something terrible happened. Well, it’s the middle of July, and PHA is finally taking care of the problem.

Demolition ongoing at last

A few days ago, what we believe is a PHA crew arrived on the scene and began demolishing the corner property. The building next door is getting some interior demo work done, and may also come down. One thing that’s a little surprising is what the demo crew has done with the bricks that have come down so far:

Is this allowed?

Looking at the L&I Map, the only permits we see for either property are expired building permits originally issued in 2010. We don’t see any permits posted on the properties, either. Surely PHA pulled permits to do this demolition job, right?

As for what will come of these two properties in the years to come, it’s anybody’s guess. Will both buildings come down or just the corner? If both are demoed, will PHA leave the lots vacant for the next several years? Will they sell off the parcels or hold onto them? Will they build one or two new homes sometime soon? If building new is the move they ultimately make, we just hope they’ve found some new architects in recent years. This is one corner that could do without architectural symmetry.

Oy vey.