Hidden City and particularly photographer and editor Brad Maule have been tracking the condemnation and destruction of some of the city’s great and iconic architectural structures. Check out this discussion by Jared Brey on how the city handles (or mishandles) the process of salvaging the delicious bits. Plus an amazing photo essay by Brad showing the arduous path of St Bonaventure from standing proud to destruction.

Philadelphia has a long tradition of destroying its great buildings and for not having the will or foresight to save and improve upon the city’s distinctive features–from government, nonprofit, or private quarters. Instead of investing what has the potential for both cultural and community hubs, instead of investing in the focal point of a neighborhood–especially before the building really can’t stand up any longer–we’d rather make more empty spaces and piles of rubble.

 Photo by Brad Maule