William Way LGBT Community Center in Philadelphia will be knocked down and rebuilt
The William Way LGBT Community Center on Spruce Street in Philadelphia is staying put. The historic site will be knocked down and rebuilt with about 40 affordable housing apartments on top.
Rebuilding the community center will keep its programs up and running for years and it will also be safer.
"From the roof to the windows, to the walls, to the floor, there is a ton of damage. It really isn't a safe space, unfortunately," Laura Ryan, the co-chair William Way LGBT Community Center, said.
The damage is so serious and beyond repair that the center made the decision to no longer operate out of the historical building. Instead, the space will be torn down and redesigned.
There's no date set for when the demolition will happen. It's still in the early stages, and the entire project is expected to take 3-5 years to complete.
"This was a really difficult decision, and it's not one that we came to lightly. Unfortunately, this is from years of neglect that left us in the situation we are in now," Ryan said.
The center said they tried everything to fix it, but had to make the right, bittersweet move financially to protect the program.
"It's not the building, it's the programs, and a lot of our programs are life-saving. The building is in means to be able to deliver those programs to our community," Dave Huting, co-chair William Way LGBT Community Center, said.
So what's the plan?
The developers involved in the William Way project are HELPDevCo and DMH Fund. The firm also helped develop the nearby John C. Anderson apartments.
The new look will deliver a reimagined and new space and combine it with 40 affordable housing units for seniors. They're calling it a win-win, especially to keep the staple strong within the community.
While it will be out with the old, the goal is to help the program thrive into the future with a new fresh look.
"We're at a time right now where a lot these services are really necessary," Ryan said. "The communities is very stressed. There's difficult things going on in the world, and it's really important that we provide these services and a safe space for people."
