August 20, 2025
Provided Image/Philadelphia Historical Commission
A rendering shows the proposed bronze cast that would be placed next to the site of the former St. Laurentius Church that was demolished in Fishtown in recent years. Single-family townhomes are planned for site of the former church.
A miniature bronze cast of the former St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown, which once marked the sky with its Gothic spires, soon may be placed near the site where the church once sat.
In May, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved a plan to build eight, three-story townhouses at the former church site at Berks and Memphis streets. One condition for the project is that the developer, Memphis Street Partners LLC, place a commemorative display outside the adjacent St. Laurentius Catholic School, which still stands at 1608 E. Berks St.
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Renderings of the proposed bronze cast, which would depict the front section of St. Laurentius on a masonry base made using material salvaged from the church, were included in an application submitted to the historical commission this week. A sign resembling the historical markers used by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission also would be placed at the site with text approved by stakeholders.
Established in 1882, the Polish Roman Catholic Church became the subject of a contentious battle in the years after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia merged the parish with another nearby church in 2013. St. Laurentius closed the following year, prompting a power struggle that played out among former parishioners, neighbors, the city and developers over the future of the site.
For years, St. Laurentius Church's crumbling brownstone facade presented a hazard to the surrounding community. Chunks of debris repeatedly broke free and crashed to the fenced-in ground below. Despite the building's exterior receiving historical designation from the city in 2015, the risk of imminent collapse led to its demolition in 2022 and 2023 — ending nearly a decade of stymied preservation and redevelopment efforts. The Vatican also took no interest in saving the church, at one time calling the former parish an example of "urban blight."
Staff at the Philadelphia Historical Commission, which has recommended approval of the proposal, said Wednesday that the next step will be a review of the application by the Architectural Committee on Aug. 26. A final decision is expected at a public meeting of the historical commission on Sept. 12.
The historical commission said the proposed bronze cast of St. Laurentius would be fabricated using a scan taken of the church before its demolition.
At the time the church was demolished, the historical commission had required the building's former owner to salvage materials from the property to be used for the redevelopment. The commission later determined no efforts were made to do so, and the property changed ownership in March. The townhomes now planned at the site will be market rate, single-family homes. A timeline for the project has not been determined.
Over the years, several other potential residential projects at the site failed to move forward. One plan would have spared the church by converting the building into 23 apartments, but a small group of neighbors with ties to St. Laurentius challenged the proposal in court and stalled progress long enough for the building's deteriorating condition to override its historical protection. Another developer received a zoning permit in 2023 for an eight-story residential building to be constructed at the site following the church's demolition. The plan never materialized before the property was sold earlier this year.
