[4] In April 2013, Universal Companies applied for a demolition permit claiming the renovation was "economically unfeasible."

Universal's proposal would preserve only the facade and a small portion of the front for culture use while the remaining property would be developed for commercial use.

[5] On May 20, 2013, local Philadelphia resident Juan Levy filed in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas a petition seeking to appoint local real estate developer Ori Feibush as conservator over the property to save it from further deterioration.

[6] In April 2015 an independent architectural surveyor presented a financial feasibility analysis for various reuse scenarios for the Royal.

The surveyor concluded that the building was reduced to a shell and "...there is no use to which the Royal Theater may be reasonably adapted given the cost of renovations and the revenues that can be expected by those uses..."[7] In July 2015 the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the owners plan to demolish the auditorium and preserve the Royal's facade which would be incorporated into a new retail and residential building.