All That Philly Jazz Director Faye Anderson provided public comment in support of Philadelphia Historical Commission staff recommendation to deny final approval of Orens Bros. Real Estate’s design for the Blue Horizon front façade. The Blue Horizon is a historic landmark. Unfortunately, only the façade is protected. Orens Bros. plans to demolish the brownstones and construct a hotel. The Philadelphia Historical Commission Architecture Committee voted to send Orens Bros. back to the drawing board.

1. My name is Faye Anderson. I am director of All That Philly Jazz, a place-based
public history project that is documenting and contextualizing Philadelphia’s
jazz history. Since the project was launched in 2013, we have mapped
hundreds of site including the Legendary Blue Horizon.
The Legendary Blue Horizon is one of the few extant buildings associated with
Philadelphia’s golden age of jazz. Before it was a beloved boxing venue, it was
an entertainment destination. Duke Ellington performed in the ballroom that
was added on by Philadelphia Lodge No. 54, Loyal Order of Moose. The
members-only bar later became a nightspot open to the public. The Camero
Room played host to jazz legends-in-the-making like trumpeters Clifford
Brown and Fats Navarro.
The Legendary Blue Horizon holds a special place in the hearts and minds of
Philadelphians as evidenced by its depiction on the Philadelphia Courthouse
Mural commissioned under the Percent for Art Program. As you can see, the
iconic stairs figure prominently in Philadelphians’ memories.

2. I posted the recent Philadelphia Inquirer report about the Orens Bros.
proposal to All That Philly Jazz’s Facebook page. The post went viral. Why?
This place matters.
The proposed hotel is appropriately named since it takes a lot of moxy to seek
approval to cheapen a beloved historic landmark with modern add-ons,
materials and signage. The proposed design erases the historic character of
the front façades.
I agree with the Commission staff that the applicant’s design does not comply
with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties. It would make a mockery of historic designation if the Committee
voted to ignore the standards.
I recognize that financing of the project is outside the purview of this
Committee. That said, it is important to note that in an earlier iteration of the
project, Orens Bros. received $7 million in grants under Pennsylvania’s
Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) for what was then an $18
million project.
Of the $7 million in state grants, Orens Bros. drew down $748,578; the
balance of the grants expired. The applicant spent nearly three-quarters of a
million dollars in taxpayers’ money and walked away without sealing the
buildings. The historic landmark is now exposed to the elements.

3. The first round of RACP funding applications closes on January 31. I fully
expect Orens Bros. will again rattle the cup for a public subsidy for its now
$22 million project. If the proposed design is approved, Philadelphians and
other taxpayers would effectively pay for the demolition and defacement of a
beloved historic landmark.
Orens Bros. Real Estate does not care about the Legendary Blue Horizon, but
this Committee can make them care. The application should be denied on the
grounds the proposed design does not comply with the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, specifically Standards 2, 9 and 10.
The applicant should go back to the drawing board and develop a design that
does, in fact, preserve the front façades and respect their historic character.
Thank you.