Permits have been issued for the construction of a gymnasium within a school located at 331 North 63rd Street in Haddington, West Philadelphia. The project proposal includes the construction of a single-story building to be used as a school gymnasium for Boys Latin Charter Middle School. The gym will be constructed on a site bounded by 63rd Street at the west, Callowhill Street at the north, N. Felton Street at the east, and privately owned residences at the south. Choice Academics Inc is the property owner. Permits list Anchor Management Group as the developer. Tsirantonakisis & Associates is responsible for the designs.
331 North 63rd Street South Elevation via Tsirantonakisis & Associates
The project has an allocated total construction cost of $720,000.
The project site is a lot spanning an area of 33,750 square feet. The building will yield a total built-up area spanning 77,87 square feet. The gymnasium will rise to a height of 30 feet. Rendering reveal a facade designed in brick, cast stone, metal wall panels, and painted metal roof panels.
The project also includes the addition of seven off-street accessory surface parking spaces, including one van-accessible space, and two accessory bicycle parking spaces.
331 North 63rd Street North Elevation via Tsirantonakisis & Associates
Separate permits are required for the commercial space, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire suppression work. A project application was submitted. No estimated construction timeline has been announced yet.
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The correct address is 339 N. 63rd St., the southeast corner of Callowhill and N. 63rd. Currently a dirt lot, the parcel was the site of ‘Our Lady of Rosary Roman Catholic Church’ until its demolition in 2021. Boys Latin purchased the Romanesque-style church and its rectory, school, and convent in 2015.
Three of the four buildings, rectory, school and convent, were adaptively reused and remain neighborhood architectural gems. However, the 132-year-old church remained vacant. In 2019, Boys Latin proposed creating a gymnasium by removing the church’s columns, which it planned to do by removing the roof.
A concerted effort was made to place the church on the city’s Register of Historic Places. Although Philadelphia Historical Commission found that the structure satisfied historic criteria, it denied designation because of the added expense that historic designation would entail. In addition, Boys Latin had plans for adaptive reuse, preserving most of the edifice.
Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, in 2021, Boys Latin razed the structure.