Is the theater protected by a preservation law?
Yes. In 1980, after the Fox Theater at 16th & Market Streets was demolished, the Boyd Theater became the last surviving movie palace in Philadelphia. In 1987, by a vote of 7 to 1, the Philadelphia Historical Commission certified the Boyd Theatre as historic. Commission member David Brownlee argued for the designation, citing the design by the prominent Philadelphia architectural firm of Hoffman & Henon, and that the theater “has the most complete art-deco interior in the city.” The then owner, the Sameric Corp, challenged the historic preservation law, claiming legal protection of the Boyd amounted to an unconstitutional taking of private property “without just compensation” In 1991, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania threw out all preservation ordinances. Upon a request for review, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania found in 1993 that preservation law was constitutional, but that the City of Philadelphia had not authorized the protection of interiors. In 2001, the Preservation Alliance
