Diane Hardee had lived in her East Coulter Street rowhome in Germantown for 36 years when part of it collapsed Wednesday afternoon, just 20 minutes after her daughter pulled her out of the house. Now Hardee has a temporary court order blocking the city from tearing it down, and five days to figure out how to save it.
Demolition crews arrived at the property Thursday and began work meant to make the structure safe before a full teardown, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Before crews could finish, Hardee sought and won a temporary restraining order in Center City, halting the demolition while emergency crews worked inside the house to shore it up and prevent damage to neighboring homes. Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections requires property owners hit with an imminently dangerous violation to appeal to the Board of Building Standards within five business days of the notice, according to the City of Philadelphia.
A Decade of Decay Traced to a 2013 Demolition
City inspectors determined in June 2025 that Hardee's home was unsafe and dangerous to life and ordered immediate repairs, though she was not told to leave the house at that time, per the report. The Department of Licenses and Inspections had determined the property was unsafe roughly 10 days before Wednesday's partial collapse. Over the years, the home developed falling bricks and structural cracks, and the station's report notes Hardee hired a contractor and an engineer to fix the problems — but says the pair took her money without finishing the work.
The damage traces back further than last year's violation notice. The city demolished a home on a vacant lot next to Hardee's property back in 2013, and engineering studies of Philadelphia rowhouses show shared party walls are typically just two wythes of soft, unpainted interior brick, built to function as part of an interconnected block rather than withstand weather once next door is torn down, according to Hidden City Philadelphia. The home later developed falling bricks and cracks. Philadelphia's adjacent-construction notice rules apply to specified work under permit applications after January 1, 2023, and some work addressing unsafe or imminently dangerous conditions may be exempt, per Community Legal Services.
A Neighbor Worries, A Homeowner Hopes
Ruby Gertz, who lives next to Hardee, has expressed concern that a demolition could cause structural damage to her own home. Under Pennsylvania common law, adjacent property owners have an absolute right to lateral support for land in its natural state. Strict liability does not apply to structural damage from subsidence when a building's added weight contributes; that part is governed by a reasonable-care standard, according to Freundlich & Littman, LLC.
Hardee, described in the report as a single disabled person, said she believes the home can be repaired and is worried about her cat and belongings still trapped inside. A representative from the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation visited the property Thursday, took photos, and said they believe the home can be saved and necessary repairs made. The agency runs the Basic Systems Repair Program, which offers free, non-repayable emergency grants to low-income homeowners for issues like structural failures and L&I code violations, according to the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation.
The Financial Stakes If the City Demolishes Instead
The five-day window matters beyond scheduling. Philadelphia can bill property owners for work the city performs.
Any demolition that does move forward would have to follow city licensing rules requiring contractors to hold Class A or B licenses, carry at least $2 million in liability insurance, post public safety plans, and staff an OSHA 30-trained site safety manager, per the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. For now, Hardee is holding onto hope that her home of 36 years can be preserved rather than reduced to rubble on East Coulter Street.
