Senior Housing Facility Reconstructed After Fire


PHA's Administrative Receiver Michael P. Kelly addresses the crowd at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Kelly likened the new building to a phoenix, rising from the ashes.

Sheltered beneath a sea of purple-and-white umbrellas, community leaders, federal representatives and members of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) took cover from the hot July sun. Together they joined to celebrate the re-opening of the Plymouth Hall senior housing facility in North Philadelphia.

On July 26, 2011, nearly seven years after a three-alarm fire sent residents running from their apartments, PHA held a building dedication ceremony on the property's new green roof. Located at 22nd and Venango Streets, the newly-renovated Plymouth Hall features 53 modern apartments, a community space, a computer center, and an energy-efficient green roof.


The newly constructed Plymouth Hall features 53 modern apartments, a community space and a computer center.

Michael P. Kelly, PHA's Administrative Receiver, likened the building to a phoenix rising from the ashes as he addressed the crowd. After holding a moment of silence for three residents who perished in the fire, Kelly said that the renovation was "a long time coming" and that the project could not have been completed without help from political leaders.

Pennsylvania State Senator Shirley M. Kitchen discussed the building's many environmentally-friendly features, including Energy Star windows, water heaters, light fixtures and appliances. She encouraged PHA staff to continue improving local public housing through energy-efficient means.

"You all have a task to keep progress alive," she said.

The Plymouth Hall rehabilitation project cost more than $13 million and was largely funded through Recovery Act Capital Funds allocated to PHA by HUD. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, PHA quickly used the funds to create more than 250 jobs for the construction of this facility. The new building improves energy efficiency and helps reduce the cost of Philadelphia's public housing.


The former Plymouth Hall building was boarded up and left vacant following a devastating fire in 2004.
The building's new green roof is just beginning to bloom. As part of the environmentally-friendly facility, the new roof will help to improve energy efficiency and reduce storm water runoff.

 
Content Archived: January 24, 2013