Germantown is home to the first Philadelphia area Boys Club. The original Clubhouse and over 100,000 square feet of land is now owned by The Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia (BGCP). In 2016, as part of the BGCP’s $40 million capital campaign, “A Bold Change for Kids” , to benefit the lives of thousands of Philadelphia youth, HSA was asked to design a new single-story Boys & Girls Club in Germantown. But what would become of the first Clubhouse? Fast forward six years, and after community engagement initiatives and further evaluations of the inherent potential of the existing structure, the 4-story split-level, 124-year-old Clubhouse has been saved. Extensive restoration, renovation, and an addition, has transformed the landmark into the renamed Ralph J. Roberts Club - the model of a traditional Club with a modern vision for today’s youth.

Situated just southwest of Germantown Avenue at 23 W. Penn Street, the Germantown Boys’ Club was originally designed in 1898 with an addition built in 1909. Both the original 1898 block and the 1909 addition exemplify the Colonial Revival style, as applied to public and institutional buildings of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The 1909 addition of the Germantown Boys’ Club was designed by the eminent Philadelphia architect, Mantle Fielding, Jr., who influenced the architectural progression of Germantown. In 1981, the Germantown Boys’ Club gave up its independence and was absorbed into the national Boys’ Club of America. In 1990, to recognize universal youth needs, the organization’s name was changed to Boys & Girls Club of America.

From the beginning the Club struggled financially. The 1920s, followed by The Depression, exacerbated their economic stress. By the 1930s, with lack of appropriate funding, the Clubhouse was seriously inadequate for its programming purposes. Then, the Germantown neighborhood greatly changed post-World War II due to racial conflict and block-busting real estate tactics, and so the Clubhouse fell into decay.

In 1981, the national Boys’ Club of America absorbed the Germantown Boys’ Club. With no upgrades to the Clubhouse since before the 1930s, an assessment of the building was completed in 1985 for possible upgrades. The report found that the rear wing and pool were abandoned and badly deteriorated; the basement regularly flooded; rot was apparent throughout; and the windows and exterior envelope were in poor condition. Overall, the assessment highlighted that the building failed to meet modern life-safety codes; therefore, the needed upgrades were not attempted.

In 2017, after over a year of debating the merits of demolishing the Clubhouse and HSA researching all possible historical, community, zoning and programming implications, the BGCP announced its plan to transform the dilapidated Germantown Club, creating The Ralph J. Roberts Boys & Girls Club. The BGCP has completed several upgrade efforts on different Clubs in the city, but this has been by far the most ambitious and most extensive renovation the Philadelphia Clubs have seen in the last 30 years. Ralph J. Roberts, Comcast’s co-founder, spent his adolescence in Germantown and so it is fitting that his name grace the reimagined Germantown facility which will ensure that kids in the community have the resources to develop both academic and personal success.

HSA and the BGCP worked extensively with the community to arrive at a design that best preserved the existing urban fabric while meeting the goals of the program efforts. HSA developed a restoration concept for the renovation and addition to the existing multi-level Club which would modernize the spaces, rejuvenate the historic exterior and maintain the beautiful interior finishes. The challenge? Taking the required programming needs that were ideal for the single-story Boys & Girls Club design and incorporating all of those requirements into a much more complex existing historical structure.

A full exterior restoration of the building’s envelope was much needed. And so, the Clubhouse exterior was scrutinized to repair masonry pointing and cracking, fill abandoned openings, completely reroof, and salvage historic elements – all in a manner which efficiently and cost-effectively restored the building’s facades. Additionally, the outdoor pool and abandoned pump house had been in the process of collapse since the 1970s and required complete removal and extensive sitework.

Hidden structural conditions (exterior and interior) were commonplace once work began. The 112-year-old main entrance required restoration both inside and out. These challenges were all in addition to the typical hiccups of construction during a pandemic…

Remember: The existing Clubhouse was a relic of the addition/construction phase of 1909 and no upgrades had been made since the 1930s. The American Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect in 1990. Therefore, HSA had to problem solve for accessibility, streamlined circulation, and associated safety (all code-required under ADA) - an extremely daunting design challenge within the constraining and outdated complex split-level interior. The required ADA elevator shaft was added as part of the rear addition.

The structure consisted of SEVEN different levels within a FOUR-story building. The renovation of the beautiful central stair corridor straddled the line between maintaining and modernizing; history and safety.

The Clubhouses’ spaces and layout from 1898 and 1908 were originally designed, in part, to accommodate 19th Century parlor games. This design was not favorable for the variety of 21st Century programming that the BGCP felt crucial for today’s neighborhood youth. Furthermore, circulation between the rooms was either non-existent or a maze and the structural framing not conducive for modern, open, and most importantly, safe program needs. Space programming is a complex struggle between wants, needs, and can-dos. The goal of the project was to ensure that this BGCP facility could provide for the community’s more than 7,000 youth, ages 5-18, living within a 1.5 mile radius of the club.

Athletics has long been at the heart of BGCP’s mission. The existing gymnasium was a beautiful example of a heavy timber wood truss. This project presented the unique opportunity to examine the original architecture and approach new ways to maintain original character while replacing the majority of interior finishes.

As the stairs and above three floors were starting to take shape and the exterior was being divested of in-grown shrubs and shored up, additional hurdles were being managed below-level. The oft-flooded basement, which had become somewhat of a repository for debris, had extensive water issues.

In addition to the architectural opportunities, the Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing/Fire Protection efforts required equal examination to retrofit the existing spaces with modern infrastructure in a cost-effective manner. After much water mitigation, the basement was once again transformed into the Clubhouse’s second gym space and teen center.

While BGCP’s mission has remained the same, the approach to academics, athletics and extracurriculars has modernized. Additional spaces created in the renovation and addition include a Literacy Center, Learning Center, STEM class, Tech Center, Music Room, Cafe, and Game Room. The evolution of a space – similar bones but new skin – is always astounding to see in progression.

A literacy classroom.

The full exterior restoration and interior renovation now evokes the history and the vision of a Boys and Girls Club in Philadelphia. The Germantown Ralph J. Roberts BGCP will serve 3,000 youth annually with programming after school, over the weekend & during the summer.