Last week, attorneys for the City and for Callowhill Neighborhood Association made arguments before a panel of Commonwealth Court judges in the ongoing battle over the Church of the Assumption, a Catholic Church building at 12th and Spring Garden streets that was constructed in the 1850s and placed on the city’s historic register in 2009.

In 2010, the Philadelphia Historical Commission granted permission to demolish to the building’s owner, Siloam, a nonprofit group that serves people affected by HIV/AIDS. Since then, the case has been appealed to the Board of L&I Review, the Court of Common Pleas, and the Commonwealth Court.

The attorneys, Sam Stretton for CNA and Andrew Ross representing the Historical Commission, were given 7-½ minutes each to argue before Commonwealth Court on Thursday morning, plus some back and forth with the judges, according to Andy Palewski, who wrote the church’s nomination for historic certification. The Court’s decision could come down any time in the next one to six months, said Andy Ross.

PlanPhilly | Commonwealth Court to rule on Church of the Assumption.

As trade union members still protest at the site of Post Brothers’ Goldtex Apartments, things are getting a bit, well, sad.

They’ve clearly switched from targeting the construction crew and general public to targeting potential renters. Their latest stunt has included a couple mannequins in white decontamination suits with signs suggesting that the site is infested with mold.

Of course without proof this might be considered slanderous, but why bother? The fact that the unions are trying to deter renters means they’ve ceded to the notion that the building will be rented.

At this point, what is their end game? What resolve will satisfy the few who continue to protest?

Philly Bricks: Trade Unions: Strategize or Disappear.