PHA Partners with the City to Break Ground on Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center

The Philadelphia Housing Authority broke ground for
the long-awaited Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center, on the site
of the West Philadelphia public housing development that also bears
the name of the late congressman and city councilman.
Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, widow of Lucien and a
former PHA commissioner, secured $2 million from the City as part
of the $6.3 million construction cost for the building to go up at
47th and Aspen Streets.
Shown here (l-r) are: PHA Commissioner Bonnie Camarda, State
Rep. Vanessa Lowry Brown, Councilwoman Blackwell, Mayor Jim Kenney,
PHA President and CEO Kelvin Jeremiah, former Commissioner Nellie
Reynolds, resident council president Rose Bryan, and Rev. Danette
M. Ray, Kingdom Life Christian Center.

The Philadelphia Housing Authority has broken
ground for the long-awaited Lucien E. Blackwell Community Center.
The building, located at the intersection of 47th and Aspen
Streets. It will feature a regulation size basketball/volleyball
court, warming kitchen, community room, and outdoor patio. The new
center is located on the west end of the West Philadelphia public
housing development that also bears the name of the late
congressman and city councilman. Construction of the new center
will be completed one year from now.
Center is named after the late U.S.
Congressman and City Councilman
(Philadelphia, PA - May 12,
2017) -The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) broke
ground today on the long-awaited Lucien E. Blackwell Community
Center, on the site of the West Philadelphia public housing
development that also bears the name of the late congressman and
city councilman.
"This is a development that we and the City have wanted to build
for a very long time, but the circumstances only allowed us to move
forward at this point," said PHA President and CEO Kelvin A.
Jeremiah. "We are excited that residents of the Mill Creek
neighborhood and Lucien E. Blackwell Homes will soon have this
modern community gathering space. It reflects PHA's commitment to
improving the quality of life in neighborhoods across the city in a
variety of ways. I want to thank Mayor Jim Kenney, Councilwoman
Jannie Blackwell and the Department of Parks and Recreation for
working with us to make this construction possible. "
The building, located at the intersection of 47th and Aspen
Streets, will cover approximately 12,000 square feet. It will
feature a regulation size basketball/volleyball court, warming
kitchen, community room, and outdoor patio. The site will also
contain parking spaces and an INDEGO bike station, and have LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The
City will operate the facility and collaborate with PHA on the
programming.
"This center, once completed, will become a pillar of the
community, very much like the man for whom it will be named," Mayor
Kenney said. "Lu left Council for Congress just as I was beginning
my Council service so we never had the opportunity to work together
there but I was very much aware of his trailblazing
accomplishments. This center will live on as yet another of his and
Councilwoman Blackwell's contributions to serving this
community."
Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, widow of Lucien and a former
PHA commissioner, secured $2 million from the City as part of the
$6.3 million construction cost.
"This community center has been fought for since 2001,"
Blackwell said. "We are so grateful to finally have the opportunity
to get this community center started so that we can fulfill our
commitment to the neighborhood, to the community, and certainly to
the legacy of Lucien Blackwell."
JD Bravo Company, a 100 percent disabled veteran Minority
Business Enterprise, is handling construction of the center and has
agreed to make 30 percent of its hires low- or very-low income
residents under the federal Section 3 program. The
development will take one year to complete. This is the next to
last phase of redevelopment of the former Mill Creek housing
project under a former federal program called HOPE VI, which
enabled PHA to rid the neighborhood of old style public housing.
PHA completed the last of 685 units of new family-style homes in
2008, both on the former Mill Creek site and in the surrounding
area.
The final segment of the development is a park to be built by
the City next to the new community center. The City plans to begin
construction this fall. The new park will complement the community
center with space for the residents of Mill Creek and the
surrounding area.