The cases referenced below are indicative of the manner in which The Philadelphia Historical Commission (PHC) imposes arbitrary and expensive encumbrances on owners of properties that have been designated as historic, either on their own or as part of districts. Examples 1 and 2 are especially egregious because the buildings in question are of relatively recent construction and the differences between what is not allowed and what the PHC demands would have essentially no visual impact, yet they represent major cost burdens. Item 3 involves an illustration of the epigram "no good deed goes unpunished" in that an owner repaired a porch without approval from the PHC and is now being obliged to do the job all over again. Number 4 is an instance in which the PHC has expressed a preference for a decaying brick roadbed over the needs of residents for adequate water and sewer service. The 5th illustration shows the arrogant attitude of the Historical Commission about spending money ... when it's someone else's.

1. 637 Spruce Street (upgrade existing aluminum-frame sliding glass doors)
2. 277 South 3rd Street (legalize existing replacement windows)
3. 3224-3226 Powelton Ave (replace newly repaired porches)
4. 1100 block of Sigel Street (repave brick roadbed with asphalt to enable the Water Department to make new sewer connections to abutting properties)
5. Former Presbyterian Church at 63rd and Vine. (The Department of Licenses and Inspections has ordered that the church be repaired or demolished because it is a hazard. The church can't afford the $3 million to do the repairs, and the Historical Commission refused to let it be torn down. The church won a challenge to the Commission in the Court of Common Pleas and prevailed when the city appealed to Commonwealth Court. The city finally backed down much the consternation of the Commission, and won't prolong the agony or cause the church to spend more money by appealing further.)