In Biblical times, Siloam was a pool of water in Jerusalem where miraculous healing took place.
In present-day Philadelphia, Siloam is a local AIDS-services agency where healing also is said to take place.
In 2006, the small agency — currently employing two staff and some 70 volunteers — sought to establish its first sanctuary, figuratively, and purchased the old Church of the Assumption on Spring Garden Street from the Archdiocese. The property included a rectory, convent, storefront and parking area.
Because of the dilapidated state of the church, the agency planned to tear it down and install a reflective garden with a labyrinth for meditative strolls.
“It would have been open to everyone,” executive director Sister Catherine T. Maguire told PGN. “And it would have beautified this area. It was a real possibility. We had plans drawn up. But the only way we could move forward with the garden would be to bring down the church.”
But now Siloam is locked in a protracted legal dispute with neighbors over plans to tear the church down.
Now, with demolition blocked indefinitely, construction of the garden is “extremely unlikely,” Maguire said.
The entire complex of buildings — located on the 1100 block of Spring Garden Street — was purchased for about $800,000.
In 2006, Siloam received a state grant of about $400,000 to assist with the purchase. The following year, the group received a $300,000 state grant to assist in the church’s demolition.
In June 2009, Siloam sold the storefront for about $186,000.
The current mortgage is estimated to be about $475,000, according to court papers.
Siloam, which uses the rectory building as its base of operations, was founded in 1995 as a nondenominational organization focusing on a holistic approach to health for people impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Maguire said Siloam had hoped to expand operations into the church after the compound was purchased, and to lease space inside the church to other HIV/AIDS agencies.
But those plans fell through, largely due to the dilapidated state of the building, Maguire said.
When the Archdiocese closed the church in 1995, it removed much of the interior furnishings, she noted.
By the time Siloam purchased the compound a decade later, the church had fallen into a state of disrepair — and would have cost an estimated $5.4 million to bring the structure up to code in 2007.
Siloam did not have the money to pay for refurbishment, Maguire said.
Now, that figure has risen to about $6.3 million, due to inflation and continued deterioration of the building, according to court records.
Siloam continues to function
Despite the building dispute, Maguire emphasized that Siloam remains focused on its mission and serves up to 1,200 people annually.
Though most live in poverty, they’re invariably vibrant and highly motivated, she said.
They come for a variety of services: respite retreats, weekly support groups, personal pastoral counseling and spiritual direction, tai chi and yoga classes, massage therapy and nutritional programming.
Jane Shull, executive director of Philadelphia FIGHT, said Siloam’s services are sorely needed in the community.
“Siloam is one of FIGHT’s most important places to be able to refer patients to,” Shull said. “They have programs that directly meet people’s needs that are unique in the city. And they also have a capacity to treat the most disenfranchised people with great dignity and respect. So people who sometimes have difficulty accessing services elsewhere are able to go to Siloam and receive services and feel better about their lives.”
Maguire said the agency’s annual budget fluctuates, but it was about $700,000 when the building dispute began.
She said much of her work involves fundraising for Siloam, and she’s gratified by the numerous individuals and groups that have stepped forward to contribute to the organization.
“We have a wonderful, wonderful group of donors and supporters who’ve been with us through it all,” she said.
Recently, Maguire has been busy planning Siloam’s 13th Golf Classic fundraiser, set for June 11 at the Llanerch County Club in Havertown.
Maguire said Siloam has consulted with many experts, trying to figure out what to do with the church.
“None of our decisions has been made lightly,” she said.
Currently, the entire property is up for sale, and the future of the church — and the agency — remains in question, she said.
Neighbors oppose demolition
The fight to preserve the church has been led by Andrew R. Palewski, an architectural preservationist who nominated the church for historic designation in 2009.
Palewski said the church, built in 1848-49, is the oldest surviving building of noted architect Patrick Charles Keely, who has some 700 churches and other buildings to his credit.
As a newborn, the future St. Katharine Drexel was baptized in the church, he said.
Palewski maintains that preservation of the church would be a fitting tribute to both Keely and Drexel.
He would like to see a state historical maker honoring Keely at the site, if the church is preserved, he said.
“Keely was the most prolific ecclesiastical architect of 19th-century America,” Palewski said.
He said replacing the church with a reflective garden would have been a less desirable option for the neighborhood.
“The church is a very important resource,” Palewski said. “Ever since Siloam acquired that property, they’ve demonstrated a pattern of neglect — not only of the church, but of the convent, rectory and surrounding parking lots. I think a likely conclusion would be that a garden would suffer the same fate.”
Palewski also maintains the church could be renovated for much less than $6 million.
He said the building could be rehabbed as a meeting place that could lawfully accommodate up to 650 people for about $1.75 million.
“If it’s kept as a gathering space, you don’t trigger all the new code-mandated necessities, which would be very expensive,” he said.
The Callowhill Neighborhood Association shares Palewski’s interest in saving the building.
The CNA challenged a 2010 decision by the Philadelphia Historical Commission that approved the church’s demolition due to the financial hardship it posed to Siloam.
In May 2011, the city’s Board of License and Inspection Review sided with the neighbors, effectively blocking the demolition for now.
Siloam appealed that action in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, where the matter is pending.
Palewski said neighbors aren’t interfering with Siloam’s right to control its property.
“Siloam has received at least $700,000 in state grants for the property,” Palewski said. “The taxpayers are heavily invested in that property. And the public should have a say in what happens there.”
Legal turmoil strains, distracts
Maguire called the building dispute “very disappointing.”
She added, “But at Siloam, we prefer not to spend the bulk of our time on the legal dispute. We want to devote the majority of our time on our mission. It’s one-of-a-kind work that nobody else is doing. It’s very hard to find a body-mind-spirit wellness center for the HIV community.”
Palewski said he respects Siloam’s mission, but disagrees that demolition of the church is necessary for Siloam to fulfill it.
“The property is getting to be so valuable in that area now. It’s way more valuable than what they paid for it. When they finally sell, they’re going to walk away with a lot of money. And there’s no doubt in my mind that the property will be sold, if it’s marketed correctly. Siloam stands to double or triple its initial investment. They longer they wait, the more money they’re going to walk away with. Is it necessary to tear down the church — when they stand to make so much profit off of a property they paid very little for?”
Palewski also questioned whether Siloam has sufficient funds to demolish the church, stating that it could cost about $750,000 to do the job properly.
“It would be a major project, without harming the other buildings next to the church,” he said.
Maguire said Siloam has sufficient resources to demolish the church in a proper manner.
Agency’s future
Maguire declined to comment on whether any potential buyers have stepped forward with a feasible proposal to purchase the entire property, which has been listed at $1.7 million for almost a year.
“In a sense we’ve been forced to put this whole property up for sale,” she said. “We’ve been tied up with this litigation for so long. A small nonprofit cannot continue to exist indefinitely with this kind of strain.”
She declined to comment on the option of demolishing the church, selling the land it’s situated on and using the proceeds to continue operating at the current location.
“Our intention is to continue this work, either here or elsewhere,” she said. “ I don’t know what’s going to happen to the church.”
Siloam will thrive wherever it’s located, Maguire added.
“This organization is very resilient. And we will bring the same beautiful atmosphere that is present here to another location, if necessary. It would break my heart if we have to leave. This property has been a spirit-filled place and a healing place. It’s a place that I love. And it’s dear to my heart. But the ministry is dearer.”
Tim Cwiek can be reached at [email protected].