Duplex singer Patti Smith rented in Pitman Grove is gone; developer pitches new project

PITMAN — Local lore says punk legend Patti Smith lived a time in Pitman Grove, but the odds of her apartment gaining fan tour status are trashed now along with her old apartment building.

The ramshackle duplex at 120 East Avenue the singer reportedly lived in was the target of an emergency demolition in mid-January. It reportedly was vacant for about a decade and was foreclosed on for back taxes.

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Developer Matan Shmuel had plans for a relatively simple renovation of the duplex, possible under a redevelopment agreement with the borough. The demolition ended the idea for Shmuel, who had bought the deed in 2022.

The Philadelphia-based businessman is pressing for a use variance from the borough to construct a replacement duplex, maybe adorned with a little reminder that Patti Smith once called the address home.

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His duplex proposal, however, faces some resistance on the Zoning Board. Notably, its potential to worsen a parking shortage was a focus at the May 15 board meeting.

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After a lengthy review, board members opted against an immediate decision and Shmuel told to return June 19 with more answers on parking, public safety, and lot density issues, and whether an apartment complex belongs among single-family homes.

Board member Barry Owen said the five bedrooms planned probably requires five parking spaces for tenants. The nonprofit Habitat for Humanity was required as part of an approval to provide parking for a house it built in the Grove, he noted.

“So, I’m not objecting to the concept,” Owen said. “But for us not to include some sort of parking is really negligent on our part. If we required the Habitat house … to have parking somehow, then how can we put in five bedrooms without any parking?”

Shmuel told Owen a parking spot could not fit on the lot, and that he was not making provisions for parking elsewhere. He added his apartments are for small families, not groups of adults.

“We’re so close to the main street here, it would be a real opportunity to bring some families to Pitman,” Shmuel said. “That’s my target. I can’t guarantee that over the 20 years of my ownership I don’t have some college students living there. People want to live in Pitman.”

Punk legend Patti Smith lived in Pitman?

Shmuel said he picked up on the resident reaction to the demolition, especially the Patti Smith connection.

“And … I saw on Facebook a lot of sentimental, neighborhood comments about, ‘Was this Patti Smith’s house? Was it a hardware store?’” Shmuel said. “So, we definitely heard that message.

Smith is considered a early punk powerhouse, with popular singles like "Gloria" and "People have the power." She is more widely known for her hit "Because the night."

Shmuel said he'd like to honor the legend's connection to South Jersey.

“And I was telling my attorney I want to work with the Pitman historic museum and sort of identify what this was and do some sort of homage in the form of the plaque on the exterior facing East Avenue,” he said. “So people, when they do walk by, can say, ‘OK. This is what used to be here.’”

Mayor Michael Razze and Council President John Fitzpatrick were required to sit out the hearing because it involved a use variance.

Razze did manage a hint that a redevelopment agreement still was possible. That option remains open no matter what the board decides, board Solicitor Christopher Dasti said.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey more than 30 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Duplex proposed for Pitman Grove where singer Patti Smith lived