The former gym of Philly boxer Joe Frazier, seen right in a 2006 charity exhibition match against Willie Herenton, has deteriorated and been ruled "unsafe" by the Department of Licensing and Inspections.
Despite boxing legend Joe Frazier's former gym having landmark status that should offer protections, City Council had to step in Thursday to prevent possible demolition of the 109-year-old building.
The building at 2917 N. Broad Street has been deemed "unsafe" by the Department of Licenses and Inspections each year since it was purchased in 2022 for $850,000 by Broad St. Holdings, which owes $26,000 in taxes and unpaid utility bills on the space. If it continues to deteriorate and reaches "imminently dangerous" status, the city can knock it down even though it appears on both the Philadelphia and national registers of historic places.
To help save the facility, council members unanimously approved a resolution from Jeffery Young Jr. (D-5th) asking L&I to halt any possible destruction plans and calling on the city, state and Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia to find a new use for the building.
After Frazier won gold at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo and began his professional boxing career, Cloverlay Group purchased an old warehouse and converted it into a gym for the heavyweight fighter in 1968. Frazier trained here for some of his most noteworthy fights, including against Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
"(Frazier) understood what life was like growing up in the city, making it and coming back to give to your city," Young said. "We will do everything we can to see that iconic building coming to and restore its glory back on North Broad Street."
Frazier ultimately purchased the building in 1975 after he retired and opened it to the public. Among the professional fighters he trained there before it closed in 2008 are Bert Cooper, Duane Bobick, Jesse Hart and his son Marvis Frazier. He also sometimes lived in an apartment upstairs.
Three of Frazier's granddaughters testified at Thursday's hearing.
"What message are we sending to the world to tear down a piece of that history?" Tamyra Frazier-Thomas said. "Where's the love in that? I'm not speaking of fictional characters that run through the city and up the Art Museum steps, but the person that actually did it."
Frazier owed $127,000 in unpaid taxes and put the gym up for sale. Eventually, it was sold to Broad Enterprise Group for $350,000, and it became a discount furniture store. But it's now vacant. Frazier died in 2011 from liver cancer at the age of 67.
There are other tributes to Frazier around Philadelphia, including a statue of him outside Xfinity Live! and a stretch of Glenwood Avenue between Broad Street and Germantown Avenue was renamed Smokin' Joe Frazier Boulevard.