This stone, near the entrance of the block, commemorates when              St. Mark's Square was renamed Rowan Walkway in 1971.

The Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia has gone through drastic transformation over the past 70 years.  Many years ago, the neighborhood was very active in industry and helped the entire city flourish.  Recently, however, industry has declined and the many companies that made Nicetown their home are all but gone. The responsible residents of Nicetown who have called it their home for generations are now out of place, overpowered by the crime and blight flooding the area. 

Most Nicetown residents currently faced with such problems can contact the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. to see if they are eligible for free home repairs under the Basic Systems Repair Program.  The repair program, which is funded by both the City of Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and the Office of Housing and Community Development, has already helped many residents in Nicetown who meet the eligibility criteria. 

Unfortunately, for certain sections of the neighborhood, these benefits are difficult to come by.  Most notably, the people who live on the historically protected Rowan Walkway are not eligible for the program, even though they meet all of the criteria for free repairs.  As a matter of fact, even if they can afford to fix something on their houses and attempt to do so, they may actually incur a fine from the city.

                Rowan Property owner Bob McCleary has had problems                                      with renovating his historically protected buildings.

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The reason for this goes back to the origin of the Rowan Walkway, which in the early 1900s served as housing for nuns and church officials for the church that is currently located behind the walkway, across the interstate.  Due to its historical significance, The Rowan Walkway and the houses in it were deemed a historical site by the Philadelphia historical commission in 1967.  Although this sounds like a wonderful distinction, many residents of the walkway think that it has caused more headaches than it has anything else.

As a result of the block’s historical status, residents who wish to receive loans from the city for much needed help in fixing their homes have to go through a lot more red tape than other city citizens. Residents have to send scads of forms to the historical commission just to get a permit to be able to make alterations to their houses.  These requirements run completely separate from the loan programs offered from the city, which don’t help or address anyone who lives in an area deemed to be a historical site. 

Bob McCleary, a Nicetown resident who lives in a house right next to Rowan Walkway, owns and rents out two Rowan properties.  When thieves kept breaking in to a window on one of his properties on the walkway, he bricked it over and painted it the same color as the rest of wall. “I assumed I had done the right thing,” said McCleary. “Two months later, I got a letter from the city of Philadelphia informing me that I was being fined $5,000 for making alterations to a historically protected property.”  When McCleary contested, the city told him that he had to file for a permit from the historical commission, wait for it to go through and then make the necessary alterations - a process that could take almost two months.  “So I’m supposed to wait a few months while the property of my tenants is in danger of being stolen.  It just doesn’t make any sense,” said McCleary.

Click here to view a movie about Rowan Walkway

Even worse, many houses on the walkway look like they are about to fall down, such as the home owned by Harriet White.  Mrs. White is 91 years old has lived in a house on the walkway her whole life; the house has been a part of her family for two generations. Now it looks as if her roof could cave in at any moment, and at her age, she can’t easily help herself.  She can’t afford to repair the roof herself; especially with the extra fees involved with renovating a historical property. The Community Development Corp. of Nicetown knows of Harriet’s situation and is taking the extra steps needed to get her some help.  “She has been there for a very long time, but she isn’t aware of the help she is eligible to get because there is so much red tape to get through to get it.” said CDC Chief Executive Officer Majeedah Rashid. “We have been dealing directly with Mrs. White and the city of Philadelphia - it may take more effort to get her the help because of where she is located, but she will get the help.” 

A joint effort from the residents of the walkway and community leaders should result in changes to the many houses in need on the Rowan Walkway.  Zachariah Wallace’s job entails assisting non-profit organizations such as the Nicetown CDC in overcoming governmental red tape  “It’s frustrating,” he said. “We have dedicated groups willing to help people like Harriet.  We have a program designed explicitly for people like Harriet.  But in order to get any results, we have to wait months and spend thousands of dollars to satisfy (the government’s) requirements.”

Workers rehabilitate a property on Rowan Walkway.

For more information, listen to the full interviews with Bob McCleary (full audio interview below), or call the Nicetown CDC at (215) 324-9772.

Full Interview: