Convention Hall protest aims to halt demolition

Vocal activists gathered this weekend to protest the ongoing demolition of the old Convention Hall, located in the southeast corner of campus near the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Penn Health System, which owns the property at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, has already begun extensive salvage work to retain the building's internal architectural materials. Officials recently purchased the building from the city, and the demolition of several buildings near HUP will make way for a new cancer research center and further expansion of UPHS.

Protesters defended Convention Hall, which opened in 1931, as a significant historic landmark of Philadelphia -- one that needs to be restored.

"It's a piece of Philadelphia's history, and our history is our identity," Engineering senior James Aslaksen said. "Everybody should care about this. Even on a basic level, it's a beautiful building."

Local preservation activist Mario Cimino feared that UPHS was trying to avoid any public scrutiny or opposition to the plan.

They "wanted to get this done before anybody knew about it. That's what really annoyed me," Cimino said. "They should stop everything until there is a public discussion."

But the project has been in the works for several years, and received funding from the state to proceed in mid-September.

The public profile of the demolition was raised by an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier this month, which detailed the excavation efforts and the resale value of some of the building's artifacts.

The protesters this weekend said that Penn officials are not trying hard enough to preserve the landmark.

"They have one of the pre-eminent design schools in the nation, but do not have the imagination to redesign or renovate" the building, rally organizer Jay Far said. "They should step back and allow time to evaluate the alternatives."

"You don't have to rip out the entrances or the exterior," activist John Dowlin noted. "You can use the existing building for almost anything. It's a big open area that you can divide up."

Aslaksen said that the hall and other demolitions contribute to students' lack of interest in Philadelphia and its history.

"How many times do we hear Rodin and Rendell saying, 'Why do students leave?'" Aslaksen asked. "Because Penn students do not appreciate what they have here."

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