Protesters and preservationists praise Montgomery County commissioners’ change of heart on prison demolition

NORRISTOWN — Advocates interested in saving the old Montgomery County/Airy Street Prison from the wrecking ball on Monday praised the county’s decision to pause demolition proceedings.

A statement issued by a Montgomery County spokesperson Monday morning shared the latest development in the seemingly never ending saga chronicling the fate of the structure at 35 E. Airy St.

“We see it as a win for the community. I’m not surprised at the outpouring of support. This building is prominent…. and I think people recognize that it’s an important building,” said Doug Seiler, an architect and vice chairman of the Norristown Historical Architecture Review Board.

“It has been a long road,” said Norristown resident and former councilwoman Olivia Brady. “I am holding my breath because I’m not sure that it’s over yet, but I am really positive and enthusiastic that the commissioners have come to this decision.”

County officials said a request for information is forthcoming, seeking input on ideas to “reuse a portion of the space” on the 1.1-acre parcel. A spokesperson added the county does not want to use county money in this endeavor.

The primary focus of residents and historic preservationists is the building described as a “castle on the hill,” the circa 1851 portion designed by architect Napoleon LeBrun. Two other structures were added on in 1890 and 1910 to make up the roughly 40,000-square-foot structure. The site ceased operations as a prison in 1987 and was later sold to the county.

A course had been set toward razing the building when the county applied for a demolition permit back in August, according to municipal officials.

Representatives from the county attended meetings of the Norristown Historical Architectural Review Board where the application was tabled twice over a two-month period before board members ultimately issued a formal recommendation denying the application.

Seiler previously said the county lacked some sufficient paperwork including an engineering report and enough evidence proving the need for demolition. He did include a caveat in his motion at the Oct. 25 meeting to “fight for LeBrun.”

Public outcry

Conversations surrounding the old prison have continued circulating on social media, in letters to the editor, as well as several public comment periods in other meetings among Norristown and Montgomery County officials. A forum hosted by the grassroots advocacy group, Friends of the Prison, took place in October, where panelists advocated for preservation and reuse. An online petition has amassed 2,182 signatures since it launched in early August.

“It’s a game changer,” Brady said, adding that without “the amount of public outcry that we’ve had, we wouldn’t have been able to do this.”

Norristown resident and advocate for the prison David McMahon agreed.

“Without the public pushback, this would have been over,” he said. “We can tell from the contract language where it was specified that the demolition would begin with the facade — that this was all meant to be kept pretty quiet and be over before the public really had a chance to fight back. So the public pushback on this mattered.”

He called the last few months a “scramble” as the reflected on gathering and working on past advocacy efforts. He’d learned of the county’s initial plans from Brady and through the media.

“It’s easily those kinds of things that can get past people, before you know (it), this could have been done. Without the Norristown Historical Architecture Review Board pushing back on this, this could have been over in September.”

Details surrounding development remain scarce as county and municipal officials have not publicly discussed specifics.

Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. previously stated plans included temporarily transforming the property into a “well maintained green space” to eventually “repurpose the prison property and the neighboring Airy Street parking lot to further spur the borough’s revitalization.”

Norristown Municipal Council President Thomas Lepera previously said development intentions  surrounded public safety.

Best interests of Norristown

“It’s not really a surprise to me,” Lepera told MediaNews Group Monday morning. “I mean, we’ve been in high level negotiations with the county over this particular issue for a few weeks now. For us, it’s just about Norristown, our best interest (is) making it as safe as possible a place to be and to make sure that our taxpayers aren’t overburdened. So I think with this process that’s going to be laid out now, I think we’re in good shape to deliver both of those.”

A previously issued request for proposals for the prison demolition outlined possible “planning services” to develop the parcel into a firehouse, parking garage and office space.

“We’re still kind of working … out what that could be. But I think that Norristown is probably in a really good position to deliver that in partnership with the county, and I look forward to continuing that with the next hierarchy over there at the county,” Lepera said.

While Lepera couldn’t definitively share proposals, he did say “a couple of the things that were discussed. I don’t know if that’s … concrete yet.”

“Montgomery County prides itself on listening to the people we serve,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder in a statement. “We’ve heard the people of Norristown and the surrounding community. We want to ensure we’re doing our due diligence.”

“Montgomery County has a great partnership with Norristown and its community,” Lawrence said in a statement. “Our goal has always been to further spur the municipality’s revitalization and benefit the entire community. This RFI will invite anyone who has a viable plan to reuse the space to step forward for consideration.”

Commissioner Joe Gale was the sole opponent to demolishing the prison, previously citing cost as a factor. He also called for an item to be added stopping further action to the upcoming meeting agenda.

“Despite the fact that I was excluded from any deliberation leading up to the announcement of their reconsideration, I am pleased to see that the Democrat commissioners are re-considering their intent to demolish the historic prison and explore new alternatives,” Gale told MediaNews Group. “I especially applaud the residents who effectively made their voices heard.”

The county’s forthcoming request for information calls for public input by submitting proposals for reuse. Monday’s statement stipulates entries should showcase “viable development plans for the potential reuse of the oldest section of the prison building and/or the façade that contribute to the Norristown Community, do not prohibit the future development needs of the Municipality of Norristown and the County, and do not rely on the use of county tax dollars.”

“I think the county is taking the right step with an RFI and I think they should … recognize that the county residents, and in particular, Norristown residents care about this, and that they should invest in the success of its future use by abating the hazmats properly and …encouraging proper, historic research on its cultural and historic significance,” Seiler said.