Letters: City must preserve its gem - Jeweler's Row

ISSUE | JEWELERS ROW

Mayor should preserve Philly's gem

Mayor Kenney and his administration must save Jewelers Row - a city treasure - instead of Philadelphia losing jobs because of misplaced development ("Uncertainty on Jewelers Row," Aug. 13). This historic street and tourist attraction should not be destroyed bit by bit starting with a 16-story luxury condo tower.

How many cities wish they had the oldest diamond district in America? There are parking lots ripe for development; why allow this Trojan Horse of a project to dull our gem?

Luxury condos have their place, but not in the heart of the historic and tourist district. The mayor and city government need to stand up for this unique slice of Philly and the workers of Jewelers Row.

|Mitchell Gordon, Philadelphia, mfgordon11@verizon.net

Tourists come from far and wide

Architecture critic Inga Saffron's column, "Jewelers Row fight's not just for buildings" (Friday), brought back memories. In high school, I had a part-time job in one of the buildings.

The block is also important to the city as a tourist attraction. I once gave several young women a tour of Center City, and they asked to see Jewelers Row. We happily browsed the sparkling shop windows and admired the unique buildings. Somehow, these young women from Florida, Trinidad, and Kenya had heard of the famous street.

I hope this part of our historic city remains intact.

|Dorothy Borton, Philadelphia

A tarnished stroll down the block

I, too, have memories of Jewelers Row, which may be destroyed by redevelopment.

Many years ago, I represented a black Temple University professor of English who was walking home after class and was arrested by the police for passing through Jewelers Row late at night. Why would a black man be there at that hour, except to rob a jewelry store?

I urged him to file suit, but he refused for fear it would ruin his academic career. Experience taught him to reject my advice. He said that I learned law from books, but he learned from life.

|Burton Caine, professor, Temple Law School, Bala Cynwyd, bcaine@temple.edu