City leaders in Philadelphia, as in Chicago and other cities, have decided to sell off or give away some of their most beautiful and historic school buildings.
In Philly, the school district closed Germantown, one of the city’s elegant buildings, on the eve of its 100th birthday, in 2013.
After months of neglect and thousands of dollars of unpaid taxes, the historic pillared building at 40 E. High St., as well as an elementary school sold that year, is going up for sale again.
“After the schools were closed, the city had a responsibility to ensure efficient disposal and redevelopment of these properties,” said Emaleigh Doley, an organizer for the Germantown United Community Development Corp. “How is it possible that today, Germantown High School is up for sheriff sale, and both the high school and Fulton Elementary School sit vacant?”
In fall 2012, the Philadelphia School Reform Commission voted to close 23 schools to save money. Months later, buildings that once welcomed thousands of students were emptied, shuttered, and sold.
Some were revitalized as charter schools. Roberts Vaux High School became Vaux Big Picture; Stephen A. Douglas became Maritime Academy. Some were redeveloped into neighborhood mixed-use spaces like University City, or community and commercial centers like Edward Bok Technical.
Others, like Germantown, weren’t so fortunate….
In September 2013, the Maryland-based Concordia Group began negotiations to purchase Germantown High, as well as nearby Fulton and three other shuttered school buildings: Charles Carroll High School in Port Richmond, and South Philly elementary schools Walter G. Smith and Abigail Vare.
The schools were packaged for quick sale, but the purchase agreement shows that they sold for widely varying amounts: Vare and Carroll for a little less than half their assessed value; Smith for nearly twice its market assessment; and Fulton for one-tenth. Germantown was the lowest-priced of all five schools at $100,000 — a far cry from the value of $11 million listed by the city’s Office of Property Assessment.
Then, another twist. Before the sale could be completed, a group of Point Breeze community members filed a lawsuit in Commonwealth Court opposing the closure of Smith and saying the schools were being sold below value. The deal came to a halt.
In 2017, after an appeal from the School District, the court approved the sale of the five schools. But the Concordia Group no longer seemed so sure. It flipped Smith to Philadelphia developer Ori Feibush, who was building in Point Breeze. Carroll is in development under Philadelphia-based developer High Top, while Vare is still listed as an active project under Concordia…
The Department of Licenses and Inspections has tracked 15 violations for vacancy, weeds, and trash at the Germantown High address. And property taxes haven’t been paid since the 2017 purchase. The high school is listed as on four lots, according to city records; combined, that’s $595,306.93 in overdue taxes. Fulton, just across the street, is on two lots and has racked up just under $250,000 in back taxes.
“It definitely affected the community,” said State Rep. Stephen Kinsey, a Democrat who represents the neighborhood and graduated from Germantown High. “Two or three businesses closed as a direct result of the lack of traffic. There was more illegal activity around the school, more police on the driveway.… To have a vacant building of that magnitude for six years, that changes the whole neighborhood….”
In March, Philadelphia-based real estate broker MSC Retail released a brochure that disclosed plans to replace the Germantown High school building with two large stores and 68 parking spots. Residents were shocked and outraged. Germantown United CDC and activist interfaith group POWER called an emergency community meeting.
City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who represents the neighborhood, said at the meeting that she planned to arrange a dialogue between the community and the company planning to develop Germantown High School, High Top. But a spokesperson for High Top says it’s not currently involved with the project. Meanwhile, MSC Retail has removed the brochure from its website. A spokesperson for MSC declined to comment on the property but said the company had no current plans for redevelopment….
According to the Sheriff’s Office, if a property owner fails to pay utility bills, school taxes, or city taxes, the property may be auctioned at a tax delinquency sale so the city can collect what it’s owed. The opening bid on Germantown High next month is listed as $1,500.
So a city-owned property once assessed as worth $11 million has been flipped from developer to developer and is now on the auction block for $1,500.
There is something unspeakably sad about the demise of a historic building that once rang with chatter and laughter and student orations and plays and life.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Germantown High School was an imposing, gigantic building that took up two city blocks on Germantown Avenue. Germantown, by the way, was the first Mennonite settlement in this country. Now that the area is declared an “opportunity zone,” for developers that will get tax breaks to invest in the area. The question is who is getting the opportunity? It is certainly not the black students that are losing their school. Germantown also has many historic properties including beautiful brownstones. This neighborhood was once an affluent area, and the homes reflect the wealth of the past. Today the area is mostly poor and black, and developers will invest to gentrify the area. These homes, decked out with marble fireplaces, have prized “flipping potential.” It is a pity that the city is losing part of its history. Even the large vacant lot is worth far more than the opening bid.
The other two properties also have potential, although not as much as the Germantown property. Port Richmond remains mostly white, and it is next to Fishtown, which has already been gentrified. The Port Richmond homes are not as elegant as those in Germantown, but these properties are easily accessible to I-95 so they have value. Real estate in South Philadelphia is already partly gentrified. The Italian families that owned homes in the area would not sell to blacks so most of South Philly remains white. The part of south Philly near center city is already very expensive. The two elementary school properties are in a very valuable, already gentrifying part of the city. They both located within a fifteen minute commute to center city. The area in the southern part of south Philly near the airport is less desirable because the area has industry including a couple of oil refineries. That is where Philadelphia built affordable housing and where many poor, black families live.
If these properties are sold for less than market value, then something is “rotten in Philly.”
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Trust me, these properties will be sold below cost if not already purchased with plans and blueprints in hand.
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Today has been a sad day for me made even sadder by this news. The grabbing of property for gentrification is so wrong, it makes my stomach turn and my heart heavy. I saw this happen to Hawai’i by the BIG 5 followed by others.
I lived through the taking of (condemnation) my grandfather’s then my 3 uncles’ land … now H-1 and Maliki Street. It wasn’t called “GENTRIFICATION” then, but was called the “Aloha Spirit” of statehood. One of the on and off ramps was at this corner. There must have been too many deaths at the Maliki Street and H-1 “on and off” ramp, because now it’s a dead end.
What it was like:
From the front porch, I could touch the chain link fence that separated this first arterial of H-1 and my uncles’ lot. Soot layered everything, including the Furniture, bedsheets, and Venetian blinds. The smell of auto fumes was so awful, I choked and gasped for air during certain times throughout the day. The noise from traffic was constant punctuated by auto crashes.
I laugh when people assume I came from money because I am educated and literate plus can do mathematics and can read and understand scientific Information. (I thank my parents for this.)
When people assume I came from money and I inform them that I slept with my parents until I was 10, then shared a small bedroom with my 3 younger brothers. I watch the faces and see disbelief. They actually think I am lying. Then I explain how I slept on an army issue bunk bed. Mouths fall open. I even lived in a situation where 11 people lived under one roof. We are in 2 shifts—the younger ones, then the teens and adults.
This is what “GENTRIFICATION” better known as “The Aloha Spirit of Statehood” brought to my family.
I weep when I return to Hawai’i. There is corruption to the MAX, high cost of living, and GRIDLOCK.
I see my culture being misappropriated and used for profit not only in Hawaiʻi, but also on the mainland.
I read books written for children and adults about Hawai’i and laugh … boy do the writers have “it” so wrong.
My family lived through the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. The authors from the mainland really need to get their facts straight, esp. those authors whose audience is young people.
Obama may have been born in Hawai’i, but he doesn’t know much about the culture. Obama lived with his grandparents. He went to Punahou School where his grandfather had connections and was even given a scholarship. I know Punahou School. I took a summer math course at Punahou. Three of my cousins attended Punahou; they are “different” from the rest of my cousins.
GENTRIFICATION is another word for GREED.
I weep for the good people of Philly. I was there.
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Makiki Street, not Maliki…spell checker. I don’t like spell checkers.
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I don’t mind change when it occurs naturally over time. Greed is a disease. What is wrong is when developers work with politicians to push “the little people” out to make way for “progress.” In the case of Philly the people of the city are being cheated out of their schools and property. I am sorry your family was pushed aside by gentrification.
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Thank you, retired teacher.
I sure wish you were Secretary of Education. Maybe one day I will have the pleasure of meeting you.
Some of the smaller neighborhood schools were also closed because of H-1. The elementary school I attended was closed.
One huge structure declared “condemned” was a Buddhist Temple in order to make room for H-1.
The rape of the land and the people of the islands continue from high rises to beach front property while the locals are forced to find other places to live while they see their neighborhood schools at risk.
Hawai’i has the largest percentage of private schools among all 50 states. Hawai’i Public Schools are not funded by property taxes and it is a statewide system. About 2 years ago, there was a push to fund public schools by property taxes from mainland groups looking to develop, develop, develop.
https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/10/chamber-of-commerce-pours-600k-into-fighting-school-funding-measure/
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159/
Those who are natives have always had to fight big money. What bothers me is that many of those born and bred in Hawai’i are part of the problem.
Chief of Police, Prosecutor Attorney, and Pain Management Physician caught in drug ring:
https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/01/former-police-chief-wants-taxpayers-to-cover-his-criminal-defense/
https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/02/honolulu-police-corruption-drug-charges-filed-against-katherine-kealoha-and-her-brother/
I weep when I return to Hawai’i to visit family.
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retired teacher,
Sure wish you were Sec. of Education.
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Retired – well said. I struggle with the outrage over gentrification and change, which is a Good Thing generally. We need better vocabulary for all this.
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