Tag: 5003 penn st

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No Opposition to 5003 Penn Street

At the NAC zoning meeting on February 4th, the representative of the owner of 5003 Penn Street presented the plan for its use as a four family dwelling with an additional dwelling unit to be converted from an existing separate garage.

5003 Penn Street in February of 2013

5003 Penn Street in February of 2013

There were no residents present who were eligible to vote according to L&I – ZBA rules, so the NAC will notify the ZBA of the fact that there is no community opposition.

The next NAC zoning meeting is scheduled for March 10th at 7 PM at the Second Baptist Church of Frankford at 1801 Meadow Street.

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5003 Penn Street Update

John E. Findeisen

John E. Findeisen

We rarely have this much interest in a run down house as we have had in 5003 Penn St.  Our previous posts here.  The latest news developed over the weekend when Laura and Nikki Kaftan emailed with some information.  They were doing genealogy and googled an address from an obituary and found our post.  They forwarded a picture to me of the house as it originally looked.

The obituary was for John Findeisen who was manager of American Fork and Hoe Company which was located at Ashland Street and the Frankford Creek.  He died in 1913.  John Findeisen obituary

Below is a slide show of the original house and some current shots of what it looks like today.  There have been major changes.  Not many of those old porches survive 100 years.  There were major changes to the upper floor in the front and on the side.

However, it looks like the original shutters were still somewhere inside.  You can see them in one of the pictures.

I have to admire Frank J Rocchino for taking on this project.  Thanks to Debbie Klak of the Historical Society of Frankford for her input.

 

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City ordered 5003 Penn St be demolished

What seems like decades ago but was really last March, I noticed that the house on the corner of Penn and Wakeling looked like its brick walls were preparing to buckle and put in a See Click Fix request for the city to…. notice it?  Well, Frankford Gazette reader Matt pointed out it now has a notice of imminent danger poster by L&I on it.

5003-penn-st-wide-shot

The poster notes that the owner is required to demolish the property or the city will do it and bill the owner.  Who knows when that will happen.

5003-penn-st-notice-closeup

Maybe after they demolish it, Frankord-Aria Hospital can buy it the lot and keep the weeds at bay.

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5003 Penn St appears ready to collapse

On my way to Ikea this morning, I snapped a pic of the buckling side wall of 5003 Penn Street, on the corner with Wakeling Street.  There is a growing gap among the bricks running from the second floor window down to what was probably a very nice front door.  And you might not be able to tell from the photo, but it’s begun to impressively bow out.

side of 5003 Penn St

Philly’s Office of Property Assessment lists the owner as one Tamara Lauma-Kallman who is behind 31 thousand dollars in property tax dating back to 1993.  Google Street View shows an impressive amount of overgrowth, probably during the summer.

I’ve reported the issue through SeeClickFix, which is monitored by Philly 311.