Siloam to appeal anti-demolition ruling
Siloam, the AIDS-services agency that wants to demolish the old Church of the Assumption, is taking its case to the courts.
Siloam’s board recently voted unanimously to appeal last month’s decision by the city’s License and Inspection Review Board to block the church’s demolition.
“This is a very difficult situation, but it doesn’t just involve a building,” said Sister Cathy Maguire, Siloam’s interim director. “It involves people — and an organization that does vital work in the community. None of our decisions has been made without great reflection and advice.”
Maguire noted that Siloam has served the HIV/AIDS community for 15 years. She expressed hope that the dispute would be resolved as quickly as possible.
“We’ve devoted an inordinate amount of time and resources on this building dispute,” she said. “We’re trying to refocus back on our mission, which is the integration of mind, body and spirit for wellness. This approach addresses the multiplicity of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.”
The abandoned church is located at 1133 Spring Garden St.
Siloam purchased it from the Archdiocese five years ago as part of a package deal that included several buildings.
Siloam provides holistic HIV/AIDS treatments in a nearby former rectory.
The Callowhill Neighborhood Association wants the church preserved, contending it’s possible for Siloam to sell or rent the church for a profit.
Last September, the Philadelphia Historical Commission permitted the demolition, noting it would be a financial hardship for Siloam to maintain the deteriorating structure. But the CNA appealed that decision to the L&I Review Board.
On May 17, the review board voted unanimously to block the demolition.
Maguire said Siloam’s attorneys have been instructed to file an appeal of the review-board ruling in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court this week.
Andrew R. Palewski, a CNA member, said he wasn’t surprised by Siloam’s decision to appeal.
“The church is an architectural icon in the neighborhood, and CNA is committed to its preservation,” Palewski told PGN. “There are a lot of supporters behind the effort to save the church. To lose that building would leave a crater in the Philadelphia skyline. It would be a terrible loss.”
— Tim Cwiek
Plans underway for marker
LGBT History Month will take on special significance this October as a state-issued historical marker is placed outside Giovanni’s Room, the nation’s oldest LGBT bookstore.
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission this spring included the store on its slate of sites eligible for a marker after an application led by the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, along with the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs, Philly Pride Presents, PGN and several other groups.
The manufacturing of the sign is expected to run about $1,400 but, thanks to more than $500 donated at a PGTC table at Pride, along with an $800 contribution from PGTC events chair Bruce Yelk’s Triumphant Pride party, that cost is nearly covered.
“The Caucus really led the effort to raise the money, but it’s also thanks to the individuals and the community members who stopped by the table at Pride and donated a buck or more or who went to the party,” said Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs.
Tami Sortman, PGTC founding member and past president, said the sign will be a big boon for the city.
“We felt it was really important for our community, as well as visitors coming into Philadelphia, to know that Giovanni’s Room is the oldest gay bookstore in the country,” she said. “Having that marker will be very important both for the community and for tourism.”
The coalition is refining the marker language with the commission, and an exact date for the installation has yet to be set.
Kiss-in for marriage
Members of the public are encouraged to pucker up at LUSH Cosmetics, 1428 Walnut St., June 18 for “Kiss and Tell,” a demonstration held at LUSH shops around the nation to rally against the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
LUSH staff, customers and supporters will come together for a kiss at 11:38 a.m., a time that signifies the 1,138 federal rights and benefits denied same-sex couples by DOMA. Visitors to LUSH stores will be encouraged to sign postcards urging the government to overturn the ban on same-sex marriage.
Through the end of the month, LUSH stores around the country will serve as “campaign centers” where supporters can learn about efforts to approve the Respect for Marriage Act, which would lift DOMA. The company has also created the Freedom Foamer Bubble Bar, a $5.95 limited-edition vegan soap, from which 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Freedom to Marry.
For more information, visit www.lush.com/freedomtomarry.
Film looks at LGBT Navajos
The Independent Television Service will present a discussion and free screening of “Two Spirits,” which examines LGBT Navajo culture, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 21 at WHYY, 150 N. Sixth St.
The event is being staged in collaboration with WHYY, the Mayor’s Office for LGBT Affairs and the Leeway Foundation.
Following the film, guests can participate in a panel discussion led by Gloria Casarez, the city’s director of LGBT affairs, COLOURS community outreach director Andrea Harrington and Leeway Foundation program director Sham-e Ali Nayeem.
For more information or to RSVP, visit http://whyy.convio.net/twospirits.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
— Jen Colletta