Let’s establish a best practice for responsible preservation with the Roundhouse

The Roundhouse, formerly the Police Administration Building, was denied historical designation in November, putting the future of the notorious structure in jeopardy.

Completed in 1962, it was considered innovative in its construction, and one of the city’s best examples of midcentury modern design in its early use of precast concrete in facade implementation. It won the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal, one of the highest design honors in the nation, in 1963, and remains a relic of the Dilworth administration and the Ed Bacon City Planning Commission — considered the golden era of American planning.

This history is held in parallel with the difficult reality of its carceral history and visible testimony to police brutality and urban renewal.

Despite its past, the 2023 report (completed in January 2024), “Framing the Future of the Roundhouse,” released by the Department of Planning and Development, resulted in the recommendation to redevelop the site, maintain the building, focus programming on creating positive community benefit, and memorialize the history at the site.

This plan was arrived at after a six-month community engagement process, led by local firms Connect the Dots and Amber Arts, which was praised for deeply involving stakeholders. This process engaged residents (ranging from youth to elderly, across communities), learning how they were impacted by the use of the Roundhouse, and collecting their vision for the future of the building.

While many shared the trauma and harm experienced, directly or indirectly, few wanted to see the building erased. The existing structure holds space that acknowledges the years of injustice through its physicality.

Most, however, wanted to be sure the reuse served the people, and that it would be open and welcoming while promoting a feeling of safety — qualities that mirror the original architectural and “good government” intentions inherent in the building’s design.

Despite this public participatory process, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted against the people in a 6-6 split.

Its historic designation would have enabled the building’s eligibility for restricted preservation funds and guaranteed the facade and massing are safe from demolition.

The city has seen the long-term preservation and transformation of Eastern State Penitentiary, now a site of local folklore, carceral education, and entertainment. We have also seen the demolition of the Moyamensing Prison site, which has been transformed in the heart of South Philly but is only remembered by a historical marker and a wall. This erasure dampens its true narrative. Like Eastern State Penitentiary, it is possible to preserve this innovative architectural and engineering building while acknowledging the trauma of its use.

» READ MORE: Whatever happens to the Roundhouse, the process must be transparent and benefit Philadelphia | Editorial

As was clearly elevated during the public input process, redevelopment should repurpose it for uses that are restorative for communities impacted by the injustices related to its prior function. Unlike Eastern State Penitentiary, the reuse can be done while still enabling a large, profitable unrelated development to be undertaken on the remainder of the large, city-owned parcel of land, which is only occupied by the Roundhouse on one edge of the block.

Proposals for both restorative justice and affordable housing have been championed by many local advocates like Save the Roundhouse and the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.

On March 24, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker released her long-awaited housing plan, Housing Opportunities Made Easy (HOME). It set an inspiring goal to produce and preserve 30,000 units of housing for Philadelphians, the majority of them at the government standard for affordability. The initiative also prioritized the redevelopment of vacant buildings and parcels, and the streamlining of processes to highlight civic efficiency.

Parker also presented a vision of residential opportunities for civic workers at the Roundhouse site, inclusive of mixed-uses like affordable housing and market-rate development. This creates a synergistic opportunity to align goals and set a collaborative vision that unites the Parker administration and citizen feedback while providing a best practice for responsible preservation.

National currents are focused on eradicating diverse stories, narratives, and cultures and replacing them with a monolithic and sanitized version that erases and rewrites history.

As we look at more than 340 years of Philly history, we have countless examples of displacement and disinvestment in working-class communities.

Places like Dock Street, the 7th Ward, and even our historic Chinatown have been erased or shrunk in ways that do not respect the history of the Philadelphians who once lived there. The Roundhouse could be a national best practice for ways to reckon with difficult histories, explicitly address past inequities, and position this administration as one that unifies opportunities for public benefit.

At its inception, the Roundhouse was intended to marry innovation, civic progressivism, and the modernization of municipal process. It was conceptualized as a symbol of democratic transparency and connectivity to the city. Repurposing it honors the feedback from the public process, local perseverance through the prominence of its Philadelphia School style, and aligns forward momentum of the Parker administration with the civic spirit and ideals baked into the idea of our founding.

Powered by civic engagement and participation, this site could become a premier symbol of a united Philadelphia around housing equity and preservation.

Tya Winn is the executive director of the Community Design Collaborative. David Feldman was the project architect for the Wanamaker department store when the building was first redesigned for multiple uses with historic tax credits. Both teach city and regional planning at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture.