Last month, as City Council was about to vote on the now-scuttled plans to build a new 76ers arena in Market East — the team officially announced they’ll build in the South Philly stadium district instead yesterday — an issue quietly reemerged that could be a bellwether not just for one Philly neighborhood, but for how we handle development projects going forward: What will the City do about the Roundhouse on the edge of Chinatown?
The former Police Administration Building on Race Street between 7th and 8th streets is a renowned example of Expressionist (formerly known as Brutalist) mid-century design, and one of the first buildings constructed with precast concrete. But the site is also a reminder of police brutality, and has been vacant since the police moved into the Annenberg building on N. Broad in 2021.
As City Council meetings on the arena were winding down in mid-December, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), a nonprofit that works to protect the neighborhood, asked that the City turn over the Roundhouse so they could turn it into affordable housing, or, in the organization’s words, “a social housing project.”
Turns out, PCDC’s proposal, or something like it, is informed by what actual Philadelphians said they wanted for the Roundhouse. It’s also a rare opportunity for an easy layup for an administration that could really use a city planning win.
What did Philadelphians say they wanted for the Roundhouse?
In 2022, a year after the police vacated the building, the City began a six-month-long community engagement process that let Philadelphians share their personal histories with the building and provide perspective on the Roundhouse’s future. The process was intended to precede the City’s RFP or valuation of the land.
The building has a complicated history. When it was built 70 years ago, the Roundhouse cut Chinatown off from its across-the-street neighbor, Franklin Square, the neighborhood’s largest park, which, in turn, fell into neglect and stopped being a resource for residents until Historic Philadelphia revived the space about 20 years ago. Once the Roundhouse opened, the police who operated there became notorious for abusing the people they arrested and coercing confessions.
The community engagement process reminded modern Philadelphians of those stories and found that most residents wanted the Roundhouse to be redeveloped for positive community benefit like affordable housing, museums or a youth center. They also said a portion of the space should be open to the public — and for the redevelopment process to acknowledge its history of police violence and brutality. In other words, they wanted the restored Roundhouse both to acknowledge and to work to repair the site’s previous harms.
The redevelopment of the Roundhouse presents an opportunity for the City to practice thoughtful planning.
“It’s an opportunity to kind of balance the scales of history by adapting it to serve one or more uses that serve the public interest,” says Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. “That could include education. It could include a school of some kind. It could include healthcare. It could have some sort of medical clinic or medical use. And it could incorporate neighborhood serving retail like a grocery store. It could include housing, particularly affordable housing, or special needs housing. And it’s big enough that it could include all of them at once.”
The process concluded in early 2023. Then, the building … sat empty for another year while the Historical Commission decided whether or not it was worth preserving. One month before City Council approved 76 Place legislation, however, the City’s Historical Commission decided via a tie vote that the building would not be added to the City’s Register of Historic Places, thereby not protecting the Roundhouse from demolition.
Repurposing the Roundhouse for housing could fill a great need: Forty-percent of Philadelphians are housing cost-burdened, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, meaning they spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing alone.
Right now, affordable housing is one of Chinatown’s biggest challenges, especially for older residents who are in danger of being pushed out of the neighborhood due to rising real estate prices. Although Chinatown’s median income is $97,932 per year — three times the city average — the City of Philadelphia’s 2017 Chinatown Neighborhood Plan report has found there is growing income inequality in the area, partially because of differing development trends on the North and South of Vine Street. South of Vine Street, especially closer to Center City, real estate prices more than doubled in the 15 years leading up to the study.
This has led to a growth in both the high income population in the neighborhood and in the amount of people living in poverty, but fewer low- to middle-income families in the neighborhoods studied, which included Chinatown, Chinatown North and Callowhill. More than 22 percent of households in the area make less than $15,000 per year, and poverty rates amongst the neighborhood’s Asian residents tripled between 2010 and 2014. Seniors in the area, especially, are struggling with more than 38 percent living in poverty.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Asian American residents in the neighborhood has declined from 60 percent in 2000 to less than 50 percent at the time of the 2020 census — a sign, perhaps, that Asian residents are being priced out (These statistics go against the national trend of the population of older Americans growing, especially in metro areas.)
Unlike other neighborhoods in Philly, Chinatown has little space to expand. Projects like the Vine Street Expressway, the PA Convention Center, Gallery (now Fashion District) mall and the Roundhouse have boxed the neighborhood in and prevented it from growing. John Chin, PCDC’s executive director, estimates that Chinatown lost about a quarter of its land to these urban renewal projects, which began in the 1940s and continued through the Convention Center’s 2011 expansion. The Roundhouse is a huge site and could offer a lot of potential for the neighborhood.
“We have a very dense neighborhood,” Chin says. “There’s very little vacant land, and not too many buildings that are in such terrible shape that they have to be demolished and rebuilt. Land scarcity is one of the biggest factors in our limited ability.”
What does Chinatown want to do with the Roundhouse?
PCDC’s request to turn the Roundhouse into affordable housing predates the conversation around the Sixers’ arena. The organization took part in the building’s community engagement and from the outset asked that at least part of the 2.7-acre site be used for Chinatown’s purposes.
Their plan, Chin says, would include both affordable and market-rate housing because “it’s important that there’s no distinction between affordable and market-rate housing,” Chin says. They’d also like space for small businesses and a museum honoring Asian American history. (It’s still in the early stages, however. They plan to submit a more formal RFP when the City begins that process.)
Repurposing the Roundhouse for housing could fill a great need: Forty-percent of Philadelphians are housing cost-burdened, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, meaning they spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing alone.
PCDC estimates the site could hold 300 housing units and they plan to designate at least 50 percent of what they build as affordable, which they define as designated for residents who make 60 percent of the neighborhood’s median income. Nearby, the figure-eight shaped Metroclub Condominiums could provide a model for how to refurbish the Roundhouse into housing — it used to be a hospital before it was transformed.
“The vision would be creating almost like a mini town on that block that has a strong connection to the rest of Chinatown,” Chin says.
The plan for the Roundhouse is one part of a 2019 neighborhood plan, “Chinatown Future Histories: Public Space and Equitable Development,” that would support residents, help immigrant entrepreneurs start businesses and cement the neighborhood’s legacy as a hub for Asian American culture.
“We have to focus on all three aspects when we plan for Chinatown,” Chin says. “All three of these legs have to be strong. If any one of these legs is weakened, that’s how Chinatown can collapse.”
Could this actually happen?
So far, the City — namely, Mayor Parker and Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose district includes Chinatown, the Roundhouse and Market East — are saying little about the idea, although Parker has expressed her opposition to designating and therefore preserving the Roundhouse as a historic place.
In an email, Bruce Bohri, a public relations specialist with the Department of Planning and Development, says they are actively discussing the next steps for the Roundhouse with the Parker administration. They expect to have an announcement within the next few months. He did not comment specifically on PCDC’s idea, but said that the decision over what to do with the Roundhouse will be informed by the community engagement process conducted in 2022.
“What’s missing is a conversation about downtown. What is Center City supposed to do for us? Who is it supposed to serve?” — Randall Mason, University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design
Parker did not respond to a request for comment about PCDC’s proposal, share the City’s timeline for redeveloping the Roundhouse, or say whether the City is considering other proposals for the site. Anne Kelly King, Squilla’s chief of staff, similarly says there is no timeline for the RFP process at this time but says her boss is reviewing the request, has been meeting with PCDC to discuss it, and the community will be included in the RFP process.
Last month, Squilla introduced a bill to City Council that would require any housing project of 10 units or more in Chinatown to designate 10 percent of its apartments as affordable for people who earn up to 60 percent of area median income.
So far, other groups haven’t put out public proposals, but the Preservation Alliance and the Philly chapter of Docomomo, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for historical preservation, are still fighting for the Roundhouse to be preserved. They’d like to see the building repurposed so it could be used to serve the community similar to how 4601 Market Street, the former Provident Mutual Insurance Company building, is now home to an elementary school, a portion of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a public health institute.
“It’s serving the community, arguably, much more effectively than it ever has,” Steinke says. “The same thing could happen with the Roundhouse.”
The cost of repurposing the Roundhouse
Chin says PCDC is open to other ideas for repurposing the existing building. That decision hinges on the quality of the building’s interior, which the organization has not been able to assess despite numerous requests to the City.
Typically, it’s cheaper to renovate an existing structure than to tear down and rebuild, but it all depends on the condition of the original building and whether it’s suitable for redevelopment. Steinke says that he’s spoken with local developers who estimate that it will cost $220 per square foot to rehabilitate the Roundhouse and $270 per square foot for a new construction, mixed-use building — plus $3 million to demolish it. The Roundhouse is 125,000 square feet. Steinke estimates the .94 acre site is worth $6.4 million.
The Sixers may be staying in South Philly, but Chinatown, Market East and other nearby neighborhoods are already undergoing substantial transformation.
PCDC hopes the City will sell them the Roundhouse for a nominal fee: one dollar if they pledge to turn it into 100 percent affordable housing, or 50 percent of the appraised value of the property if they create 50 percent affordable housing and 50 percent market rate units. (The City has an active, though much criticized program, where they sell properties for $1 to reduce blight).
PCDC has experience building affordable housing and managing retail spaces — since 1966, 481 such units in Chinatown. They’re currently working on a 51-unit affordable housing project for seniors with the development company Pennrose at 800 Vine Street. In 2019, they opened the Crane Community Center, a $75 million mixed-use residential, retail and community tower, though they ended up reducing the number of affordable units available in that project.
Squilla announced PCDC will also be developing a 56-unit affordable apartment building at 11th and Winter streets in coordination with the City, to compensate for the 20-story housing tower that he helped axe from the Sixers’ proposal at the request of some neighborhood advocates.
“We have the experience and track record to develop this kind of housing,” Chin says.
Let’s practice city — not project — planning
The Sixers may be staying in South Philly, but Chinatown, Market East and other nearby neighborhoods are already undergoing substantial transformation.
The redevelopment of the Roundhouse is one of several proposed and ongoing projects that are reimagining the area. There’s plans to somewhat undo the damage wrought in 1964 when the Vine Street Expressway divided Chinatown by capping it by 2030 at the earliest. Meanwhile, a mile away in Old City, five of the Independence National Historical Parks are getting redesigned ahead of the Semiquincentennial.
Architects and urban planners say the City must think more holistically about development — not just in Center City, but within Philly as a whole. Mayor Parker has been criticized for her approach to urban planning — including her firing of two seasoned members of the planning commission in March 2024 and then waiting till October to replace them. And, of course, a broader conversation about urban planning has largely been absent from the discussions about the arena.
“It’s an opportunity to kind of balance the scales of history by adapting it to serve one or more uses that serve the public interest.” — Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
Says Dr. Randall Mason, professor of architecture, city planning and historic preservation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, “I think it relates to a struggle that’s been going on for decades in Philadelphia to create a culture of planning. What’s missing is a conversation about downtown. What is Center City supposed to do for us? Who is it supposed to serve?”
In other words, projects like 76 Place and the moribund Market East corridor require vision beyond build it and people will come. Residents who opposed the arena may be celebrating today, but there’s still no clear plan for the neighborhood — which will be emptier than ever now that the Macy’s in the Wanamaker building is closing.
Will the City listen?
The redevelopment of the Roundhouse presents an opportunity for the City to practice thoughtful planning. They’ve already completed an extensive community engagement process around what residents would like for the site and there are groups, like PCDC, who are interested in developing the area in ways that align with residents’ desires. It could also help Parker achieve her affordable housing goals.
During a press conference announcing a new arena will go in South Philly, Parker reaffirmed that she plans to dedicate $20 million to affordable housing in Chinatown, which she had promised as part of the arena negotiations.
“I think the mayor needs every single parcel of land that’s available to the city to achieve her 30,000 units [of affordable housing] vision for Philadelphia,” Chin says. “We need every parcel for affordability, and I hope that happens here at the Roundhouse.”
Many people who participated in the Roundhouse community engagement process were and are skeptical that the City will actually do anything with the results. The process began under Kenney, but what the City does with the results will be up to Mayor Parker.
“The Parker administration has made no public announcement or disclosure of how they view the site except to oppose its historic designation, and they have made no public announcement or disclosure of what may come next. Will they RFP it and try to sell it to the highest bidder?” Steinke says. “Will they seek to partner with the folks in Chinatown to develop it in concert with them directly? Nobody’s talking and nobody knows.”
