Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House At Center Of Lawsuit

"After A North Philadelphia church that owned the historic Metropolitan Opera House began a partnership with developer Eric Blumenfeld, the pastor had a hard time finding him to discuss the planned $10 million renovation. According to a lawsuit filed Feb. 5 in Common Pleas Court, the Rev. Mark Hatcher, pastor of the Holy Ghost Headquarters Revival Center at the Met Inc., 'was reduced to chasing down his 'partner' on the street to secure a face-to-face meeting with him.' On another occasion, the suit says, Hatcher 'visited Blumenfeld's offices to discuss the project's progress [or lack thereof], and Blumenfeld literally ran out the back door upon realizing Reverend Hatcher's approach.' The suit claims that 'Blumenfeld misled the Church into relinquishing title to and giving him [Blumenfeld] a controlling interest in the Met.' The massive structure, on Broad Street near Poplar, was built for Oscar Hammerstein in 1908 in the Classic Revival architectural style and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The church bought the Met for $250,000 in 1997. It is now worth more than $20.9 million, according to city records, which show that Blumenfeld gained control of the title in February 2013 for $1." [Source]