West Philly Gucci House Narrowly Avoids Demolition

Image via Google Street View

In the early summer of 2011, someone noticed that the residents of a building on North 50th Street in the Mill Creek section of West Philadelphia had decorated their house with an excellent paint job — the trademark green-and-red stripe of Gucci, with a slightly altered version of the interlocking “G” pattern found on Gucci products. Photos of the house floated around the Internet.

Everyone had a good laugh. As Media Take Out, the first site to report on the Gucci House, said: “LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID TO THIS HOUSE…IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOOD IN WEST PHILADELPHIA!!!” But recently, hard times have hit the house: For one, the red stripe has faded to a more pink color. And on August 9th, the city’s Licensing & Inspections department deemed the house “imminently dangerous.” It was possible it would be demolished. The Gucci House’s impending demolition started to spread across the internet, too.

But wait! Karen Guss, a spokesperson for L&I, says the owners have agreed to fix the property. The “imminently dangerous” designation was applied because there were a number of loose bricks above the door — an inspector was worried they could fall and hit someone walking in or out of the Gucci House. It’s not clear what would’ve happened had I not contacted L&I with a frivolous question about a house with a funny paint job, but let’s not investigate any further and shower me with praise because I accidentally saved the Gucci house.

The original L&I violation originally didn’t reach the owners because the property recently changed hands — Guss says L&I likely sent the original violation to the previous owners. Records show the house was purchased in late July for $12,300 by Golden Management LLC, which lists an address of a services company in the Northeast on Bustleton Avenue.

So: Don’t fret, Philadelphians. The Gucci House is staying (for now, at least). Philadelphia magazine wasn’t able to reach the new owners, but we hope a show of public support will encourage them to keep the paint job.

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