The dusty, musty, neglected home along East Penn Street in Germantown has been in disrepair for years.
Wednesday morning, community leaders and volunteers decided to wait no longer for the revitalization of the old Waring House.
"We don't have to sit and wait," said volunteer Anita Hamilton. "We can pitch in and do it ourselves."
They started in the basement, which was filled with broken chairs, old computer equipment, tires, a lawn mower. And they will work their way up.
Some of the volunteers are trying to rebuild their own lives too, like Kenny Brown.
"Learn how to communicate with others, get along with others. You know, learn how to do the right thing and stay out of trouble," said Brown.
Each floor of the three-story structure is in bad shape. Up on the third floor, walls are torn apart, debris is lying all over the place, a bathroom is in shambles.
The volunteers know they're going to need hundreds upon thousands of dollars to complete this renovation project. They're at a point where they don't even have a timetable as to when they hope to be finished.
But they do have a vision. One day, they hope the Waring House, built in 1855, will once again serve as a gathering place and a source of pride for the neighborhood.
"It's about the revitalization of a neighborhood, a neighborhood that to me kind of got lost or left behind. And now it's being pulled back to the forefront," said volunteer Ruth Salters.
The next big step is getting the 8500 square foot home back on the grid, with electrical power and heat - and securing enough funds to kick this facelift into high gear.
