‘Swarthmore Has History’
To The Swarthmorean,
My grandfather built the Celia Building in the early 1920s. He had even imported marble from Italy for the foyer. After a long struggle with the town, he was finally able to build this apartment building with two businesses, one of which was his shoe store. My grandfather also sponsored men from Italy as they came through Ellis Island. He taught them a trade, gave them housing in his own home, and allowed them to become new Americans with jobs. When my father took over, he employed many men from Chester, teaching them a trade and hoping they could then start a business of their own. When my father passed away, a good many of the then African-American community came to his wake and services in thanks for this. An honor for sure and something I will never forget and still moves me to this day. Swarthmore has history. Please do not destroy building after building, taking away the feel of the town. So many small towns are doing this, as tax revenue is apparently the most important thing in the world. Is there not an Historical Preservation Committee? However, and in all fairness, I also do not know the details of the sale and who the current owners are and why they feel the need for this decision.
My family currently lives outside of Syracuse, New York. When we were in the area for a family reunion, I took a picture of my son sitting on the front steps of the store. He never met his grandfather, nor did I ever meet mine. I am grateful that I have this picture. I will always have memories of the wonderful times growing up in such a special town and how lucky my family was to be part of the Swarthmore community. Seems as if a condo building will take away from the Swarthmore feel. Please remember what the town represents. Please remember what Swarthmore is. A condo building is not part of that representation.
Elvira Celia Poiesz
Syracuse, New York
