Once at risk of demolition, the award-winning Morton Weiss House designed by Louis Kahn is still intact after neighbors rallied against a proposed development on the site.
A Curbed reader confirmed in an email to Curbed Philly that neighbors protested against a developer's proposal to build a senior rental housing development on the property.
The neighborhood joined together and were able to stop it! They forced East Norriton to strike down the conditional use that the buyer was looking for to build.
We were tipped us off in February about the potential demolition of the house, which Kahn designed for the Weiss family in 1950. In order for the developers to build on the property, they needed to rezone the parcel and add an overlay district.
According to meeting notes from a February meeting, 10 local residents spoke out against the development.
Kahn and his partner Anne G. Tyng were awarded the 1950 American Institute of Architecture Gold Medal for the design of the 3-bedroom, 3-bath wood and stone home. The award recognized the ingenious design of south-facing glass panels that can be moved to control the amount of light and privacy.
Unfortunately, it's fallen into disrepair over the years. The developers had argued before that the home was in "very poor condition."
It's currently owned by real estate agent Paul C. Pantione, who spoke in favor of the development.
- Louis Kahn's Morton Weiss House Poised for Demolition [Curbed Philly]
- 10 homes Louis Kahn built in Philly [Curbed Philly]