William Way LGBT Community Center’s headquarters’ future is now known, as the 176-year-old building is being demolished to make way for a new building with affordable apartments, writes Jake Blumgart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The new building will include up to 42 new affordable apartments for seniors.
The current four-story, 14,000-square-foot building will be replaced by a six-story structure. William Way’s community center would be on the bottom two floors, while the apartments would be on the top four floors.
William Way would subsequently have more space, while individuals who otherwise would not be able to live in the Gayborhood would likely have it as an option.
“We want to make sure that people are given the opportunity to live in all areas of the city, including areas like Washington Square West that have a lot of higher income folks,” said Dan Anders, a vice chair of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund (DMH Fund).
The aforementioned organization is partnering with affordable-housing development firm HELPDevCo on the new building.
It is not yet known when the demolition will take place, as the project will need funding from the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit before steps can be taken. These funds won’t be distributed until late this year.
Read more about the future plans for the William Way LGBT Community Center in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA Today in March 2026.
