Looking to avoid some traffic on I-76 the other day, we found ourselves in Manayunk, where some ongoing construction at 4050 Main St. caught our eye. The building at this address has been sitting vacant for the last few years, and was most recently home to a furniture store called Dwelling Home Philadelphia. Way back in the day, the building was used for industrial purposes, with the Childs Wagon Works occupying the property in the early part of the 20th century. The building dates back to the mid-1800s and is listed on the local Historic Register.

Immediately to the east of the building, there were, until relatively recently, three historic Italianate rowhouses. Back in 2017, a plan emerged to convert these former homes and the furniture store building into an apartment building. This project would have entailed the demolition of the homes but the preservation of their facades. The project, as you can tell, never came to fruition.

When Hurricane Ida flooded Main Street in 2021, the homes were damaged significantly, and deemed imminently dangerous. The Historical Commission approved their demolition in 2022, with the caveat that they be laser scanned and their facades get rebuilt as part of any future redevelopment. So… should we expect to see these handsome facades make a return?

Not so fast! Citylight Church, which has had a presence in Manayunk for the last decade or so, bought the property last year. Their vision is to convert the existing building on the site into their new home. They retained Bright Common Architecture to come up with a plan to reuse the historic building for their purposes. The plans call for a large sanctuary, gathering spaces, and offices on the upper floor. Thanks to the fact that the building sits in a flood plain, the first floor would be used almost exclusively for parking. Check out the renderings!

You’ll notice, these renderings do not include the reconstruction of the demolished rowhomes. The church and their team presented the project to the Historical Commission last year, seeking approval for the renovation of the existing historic building and relief from the requirement to rebuild the demolished homes. They got both, and with little controversy. And now, it appears that work is progressing at the property, reinvigorating a handsome and historic edifice.

Is it a bummer that the historic homes were demoed and won’t be coming back? Sure. At the same time, it’s awesome that the remaining building is getting a major makeover and will be a terrific home for this growing congregation. It’s worth noting: over the years, we’ve covered the demolition of more beautiful churches than we can count. Most new houses of worship these days can’t begin to capture the majesty of many of the buildings we’ve lost. For a change, this new church will be architecturally impressive. It won’t be Notre Dame or Saint Mark’s Basilica, but it will undoubtedly be the most interesting and attractive new church in Philadelphia in recent memory. And if the cost is three homes that were already demolished, we can definitely live with that. Clearly, the Historical Commission felt the same way.