Salute for historic housing

Donning kilts, members of the Leatherneck Pipes and Drums tooted on their bagpipes while standing in front of refurbished buildings dating to the 1800s.

Forging old traditions with new construction, city, state and military officials dedicated the Naval Home, now called Naval Square, to U.S. military personnel worldwide and those once housed at the 20-acre site.

The grand-opening ceremony last Thursday ushered in a project more than 20 years in the making. Toll Brothers Inc., owners of the property at 23rd and Bainbridge streets, already has begun selling the 345 dwellings that eventually will fill the gated community. The successful outcome follows years of bureaucratic delays while the developer awaited approvals from historic commissions. The site deteriorated in the interim, resulting in residents’ complaints and a citation from the Department of Licenses and Inspections in 2002. The following year, a damaging fire cast further doubts on the project.

But Toll Brothers bounced back, and Gov. Ed Rendell commended the developer for maintaining the site’s historical significance.

"Philadelphia has had a rich tradition and wonderful association with the U.S. Navy," he said.

The site’s Biddle Hall, a National Historic Landmark, will accommodate 66 condominium units. The renovation should be completed by this winter.

The Surgeon General’s Residence and Governor’s Residence, also historic landmarks, will be converted to add another 12 units.

THE GATED COMMUNITY will contain 108 additional condominiums inside the Biddle Hall Annex, renamed Strickland Court. Buyers also have the option to purchase one of the 135 townhouses under construction.

A 24-unit condominium building named City View rounds out Phase I of the project, which is set for completion by next summer.

The new homes range from $300,000 to $1 million.

Robert Toll, chairman and CEO of Toll Brothers, thanked Rendell for his dedication to the project.

"We were in it for profit and to show ‘City Council President Anna Verna on their involvement. "He was in it for love."

Military officials, including Undersecretary of the Navy Dionel Aviles, made note of the site’s extensive history, which includes the construction of the first U.S. Naval Academy in 1839.

The Naval Home served as a residence for retired Naval and Marine Corps personnel until the Navy moved out in 1976.

The development has had a ripple effect on the surrounding Grays Ferry community, commented Kevin Hanna, secretary of the city’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation.

"One of the reasons I stand up here with a smile on my face has less to do what’s behind me and more to do with what’s in front of me," Hanna said against the backdrop of Biddle Hall. "I can see scaffolding in front of buildings … which five, 10, 15 years ago, nobody would have ever imagined. There’s a veritable renaissance occurring in Grays Ferry."