Joe Frazier's historic gym is in danger of demolition скачать в хорошем качестве

Joe Frazier's historic gym is in danger of demolition

Joe Frazier was a fixer, and he loved nothing more than fixing his gym. It was a sturdy, three-story building near Broad and Glenwood. When he was not training boxers, the former heavyweight champion — universally known as Smokin’ Joe — could be found on his hands and knees, pulling weeds from the grass. Or running phone wires from the third floor to the first. Or replastering a wall. Everything was cared for. Black-and-white photos of legendary fighters were hung around the ring. Boxers who didn’t feel safe at home, or simply needed a place to stay, kept beds upstairs. Soulful music rang through the speakers: Bobby Womack and Wilson Pickett on weekdays, and gospel on Sundays. Everyone called it home — until it wasn’t. Frazier lost the gym in 2011. He owed the city about $127,000 in unpaid taxes on the building, and took out a mortgage. The city sheriff sold the property to satisfy a lender, who promptly sold it to out-of-state investors. In 2022, a new company, Broad St Holdings LLC, acquired the gym for $850,000. It has since failed three straight city inspections, from September 2023 to June 2024. Not one has been addressed. According to liens filed by the city’s Law Department, the building’s owner, David Hayon of Jenkintown, has also failed to pay about $26,000 in combined taxes and utility bills linked to the property. As a result of the gym’s building code violations, the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections recently declared the property “unsafe.” Now, it could face demolition. If the gym continues to deteriorate to the point where it is deemed “imminently dangerous,” the city can step in and tear it down — despite its landmark status. Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/sports/a/joe... If you value this work, please consider subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer ►► http://www.inquirer.com/youtube More from Philadelphia Inquirer Video: Watch all of our videos here: http://www.inquirer.com/video Facebook:   / philadelphia.  . Instagram:   / phillyinquirer