23 residential units proposed for St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown

Plans for the historic St. Laurentius Church conversion into apartments continue to move forward, with the proposal for 23 residential units going to the neighborhood’s zoning board next month.

Fishtown Neighborhood Association will host a zoning meeting on Tuesday, September 20 to hear about the proposal, which calls for combining seven lots into two and converting the existing church into 23 residential units.

In addition to the church, the rectory and school will remain on the parcel of land, as well.

In February, we learned of developer Leo Voloshin’s plans for the apartment conversion, though at the time it wasn’t clear how many units would be included in the proposal.

Neighbors had rallied to save the church from demolition a year before. The city’s first Polish church was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places last year and was designed local architect Edwin Forrest Durang, who specialized in ecclesiastical design.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The property is not zoned for multi-family housing units, so it’s seeking variance approval from the city. After the September 20 neighborhood meeting, it goes to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) in November.

• Apartments in the works for historic St. Laurentius Church [Curbed Philly]