Burk Mansion: Mansion of Memories
On the edge of Temple University’s campus, at the corner of Broad and Jefferson Street, stands Burk Mansion. Once a residential gem of early 20th century affluent North Broad Street, today the building exhibits a rather gloomy appearance behind a chain link fence.1 Its historic significance was acknowledged by the Philadelphia Historic Commission in January 1971.2 Public preservation interest groups have protected Burk Mansion from demolition ever since, but the structure has not been put to new use for over 25 years now.
Origins
The mansion was built in 1909 by businessman Alfred E. Burk who was the president of a leather manufacturing company and a fixture in early 20th century Philadelphia. He constructed Burk Mansion to be a spectacle with its fine architecture, lush gardens, and conservatory which was designed with large windows for pedestrians to peek through. After Burk died in 1921, the property went to his sisters. Louisa Burk and Minnie Mathieu lived in the house for two decades until they put the house for sale in 1943 to the Upholsterer’s International Union. The Union used the mansion as its headquarters, adding a wing to the north-facing side of the building in 1950. In 1970 Union demanded a more modern space from the city, and Burk Mansion was sold to Temple, that used it for the School of Social Administration.3
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In 1975, Temple made Burk Mansion the new home of Temple parents’ “award-winning” daycare facility, and tried to provide for the 100 children of Temple’s faculty staff, students, and members of the neighborhood with more adequate accommodation despite the university’s chronic lack of space.4 In 1993, the building suffered a mechanical fire that injured four service workers and caused damage, which went unrepaired for two years as the building began to show signs of age.5 In June of 1995 Temple cited the high maintenance costs as its reason to announce the closure of the building, only giving a month’s notice for 85 kids’ families to find new accommodations. The announcement was met with outrage by the Temple and North Philadelphia communities. Protests lasted through the month of June, and four students filed suit against the university to keep the daycare open. The efforts were to no avail as the facility closed on July 28, 1995, over which 14 employees lost their jobs. Philadelphia City Council members also challenged Temple’s priorities by pointing to its multi-million-dollar construction plan of Liacouras Center.6 Temple has since outsourced childcare to Learning Centers in West Philadelphia, and the mansion has been standing empty ever since. 7
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Temple University has considered several alternative uses for the site, but renovation was determined to be too costly.8 Despite continuing to cover costs of routine maintenance to make the building look “less abandoned”9, Temple has not publicly shared any plans for demolition, sale, or use of the site.10 Now, the mansion remains stuck in limbo, waiting for its potential to be actualized. Temple’s mission statement references Conwell’s vision of “transformative opportunities” of Philadelphia’s urban setting.11 What then, does the Burk Mansion offer to the diverse lives of Temple students, faculty staff, and the surrounding community?
Burk Mansion in Context
Created by Jeanette Bendolph, Claudia Dubé, and Lauren Kennedy
