Plans to turn the historic Family Court building into a hotel and move the African American Museum in Philadelphia to an adjacent lot have collapsed, writes Victor Fiorillo for Philadelphia Magazine.
The building’s future has been under discussion since 2010, when Michael Nutter was mayor and the city first sought proposals to redevelop the city-owned structure, which would become vacant after Family Court moved to 15th and Arch streets in 2014.
Florida-based development firm Peebles Corp. was awarded the project to convert it into a Kimpton-operated luxury hotel. The deal fell through in 2021, in part due to challenges from the building’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places and its preservation requirements.
The city issued a new RFP, narrowing the field to four finalists by August 2022. In 2023, National Development was named the developer responsible not only for the hotel redevelopment, but also to create a new home for the African American Museum.
Three years later, the project has not yet seen any progress. Karen Guss, communications director for Philadelphia’s Department of Planning and Development, confirmed that National is no longer involved and the city currently has no plans to issue another RFP.
Read more about the old Family Court building, it’s planned future, and the lack of progress for the aforementioned future in Philadelphia Magazine.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on PHILADELPHIA.Today in March 2026.
