Bob Wombwell can't watch Fluehr Park seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Neither can several dozen neighbors whose homes lie just beyond the newly repaved main drive of the former convent and school at Torresdale and Grant avenues.

Practically speaking, nothing short of a corps of full-time guards could ensure that trespassers remain out of the city-owned park after hours.

That fact, when contrasted with the frequent, illegal post-dusk activity in the park, is disheartening to the neighbors, but none more than Wombwell, the president of the Friends of Fluehr Park at Eden Hall.

Wombwell's voice fills with hope when he discusses the recent renovations in the park, including the new drive and parking lot, as well as a walking/jogging path winding its way through the 64-acre tract. The work, financed by the city, is costing $700,000.

His voice also piques when he mentions his group's long-term goals, including the costly restoration of the 150-year-old chapel on the site, with its towering arches and distinct stained-glass windows.

Then his inflection turns to despair when reminded of the security problems, how kids (presumably) have repeatedly broken into the chapel and vandalized the place, shattering many of those expensive stained-glass windows, setting small fires and even damaging the altar. They leave beer containers strewn about the floor.

old structure up in smoke

It happened again on Oct. 30, also known as Mischief Night. This time, it wasn't the chapel but a small structure 50 feet behind it. The old convent's icehouse, probably as old as the chapel, burned shortly before 11 p.m.

The walls of the sunken structure were made of stone, brick and mortar. They survived the fire, although covered in soot. But the roof was made of wood. It had been built five years ago, according to Wombwell, through the generosity of a local contractor and volunteers.

It was destroyed. Last week, a few charred boards remained at the scene, but the rest of the lumber had either been removed or disintegrated into ash. The doorway, missing its wooden door, had been boarded up.

Wombwell estimated the damage at $10,000 to $15,000. That's based on the cost to replace the roof and door. For many folks, however, the value can't be measured in dollars.

"We think that structure is reported to be one of the few icehouses left in the Fairmount Park system," Wombwell said. "It's part of the historical fabric of that piece of ground."

The Sisters of the Sacred Heart ran the school, Eden Hall Academy, until the 1960s, before donating the land to the city. In the early 1970s, fire claimed the school building, which was attached to the chapel. The classrooms were razed, but the chapel was preserved. The icehouse has been quietly tucked behind the chapel from the very beginning.

"As the story goes, the sisters would have the cut ice brought up from the Delaware (River) and would store it there, along with their perishables, their meats," Wombwell said.

In later years, after the onset of refrigeration, the icehouse was used for general storage. It is about 10 feet by 25 feet. The walls sink about 10 feet below ground level and rise about five feet above ground. One neighbor, Linda Cannon, recalls touring the chapel three years ago. The icehouse contained shelves of fruit preserves.

More recently, the building has been empty.

no probe for foul play

Oddly, the Philadelphia Fire Department officially classified the blaze as a "rubbish" fire and blamed it on "children playing with matches." There is no criminal investigation, said Capt. Willie Williams, standing in for the department's public information officer, Executive Chief Henry Dolberry, last Friday.

An investigation would have taken place "only if there had been witnesses or if they had identified any suspects," Williams said.

According to the captain, the icehouse was characterized on the fire report as a "vacant garage-type building." It was classified as "rubbish" because it was deemed uninhabitable for humans and not being actively used. The structure, like the entire park, is owned by the city.

Another noteworthy twist to the story is that firefighters were delayed at least several minutes in arriving at the scene that night by a false alarm.

The first call went out at 10:51 p.m. Normally, Engine 46, based at Frankford and Linden avenues, would have been the first unit to respond. The six-block trip north along Frankford Avenue would normally have taken no more than four minutes, according to a fire department source.

But at 10:49, two minutes prior to the Fluehr Park call, Engine 46 was called to Frankford and Megargee Street, a call that later turned out to be a false alarm. Engine 36, located 13 blocks south of Engine 46 at Frankford and Hartel avenues, had to make the 19-block trip to the park.

After investigating the false alarm, Engine 46 was called to the park by Engine 36 to help with the real fire. The time was 11:08 p.m. The engines spent another hour at the scene. It is not known what impact the delay had on the efforts to fight the blaze.

But for the neighbors, the main issue is not how the fire was put out, but how it began.

"This has always been a hangout for teens," Wombwell said. "We've been involved in the park since 1990. Since we came in, there's always been damage, break-ins to the chapel, beer cans lying around."

dismayed by vandals

Nearby resident Frank Russo has seen many youths violating park hours or vandalizing property during park hours.

"I've chased a lot of kids from that area, mostly little kids throwing stones and big rocks at the church, breaking windows," Russo said.

He also sees older kids, even adults, using the park as an off-road motorcycle circuit, while joyriders frequently dump allegedly stolen cars in the park's small lake, he says.

Cannon, ironically, noticed fresh graffiti on the chapel during a walk through the park earlier on Oct. 30, hours before the fire. She called it "terrible language."

During her aforementioned formal tour of the church, Cannon was "really dismayed at the destruction inside, to the altar, the stained glass. They were able to save most of the altar."

As for the icehouse, the future does not look good. According to Wombwell, Fairmount Park officials have suggested filling up the structure to grade with dirt for safety reasons. Wombwell doesn't disagree with the idea.

Then the Friends group will attempt to have another roof constructed through donations of supplies and money.

"We want to protect the building," Wombwell said.

Plans are already under way to restore the chapel.

"The chapel recently underwent an engineering study to determine its sturdiness," Wombwell said. "We're awaiting the results."

The Friends group is prepared to make any necessary emergency repairs to the chapel roof or structure. It is not ready for a complete restoration project just yet, though it is hoped that any major renovations in the future would include the icehouse.

In the meantime, the emphasis is on damage control.

"Every effort to secure the chapel has been taken," Wombwell said.

"We hope the improvements (to the park grounds) will increase the public presence and deter vandalism."

Donations of money or services to the Friends of Fluehr Park at Eden Hall can be sent to P.O. Box 63045, Philadelphia, PA 19154 or arranged by calling 215-637-5858.