MATTERSPRESERVATION

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE PRESERVATION ALLIANCE FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA WINTER 2008

WWW.PRESERVATIONALLIANCE.COM

PreservationAlliance

for greater philadelphia

EXECUT IVE

D IRECTOR ’ S

MESSAGE

It is somehow fitting that this issueof our newsletter, which incorpo-rates our Fifth Annual Endan-

gered Properties List, should start offwith a story about the loss of anotherhistoric building in Philadelphia. Thereare several lessons to be learned fromthis experience, one of which is thatlisting on the Philadelphia Register ofHistoric Places is the only reliable publicprotection against demolition of his-toric properties. This lesson, unfortu-nately, applies to three properties on theEndangered Properties List as well—neither the Stephen Girard Building, theHassrick/Sawyer House nor the BoydTheater is listed on the PhiladelphiaRegister and, consequently, none areprotected from demolition. The StephenGirard Building is a particularly badomen: developers who leased this sitefrom the Board of City Trusts appear tohave applied for and received a demoli-

actual development of the block.The omission of important historic

resources from the Philadelphia Registeris one of the reasons the PreservationAlliance believes that Philadelphia needsa preservation plan and a comprehen-sive survey of historic resources in thecity. We are excited by the commitmentsMayor Michael Nutter has made to thereform of planning and zoning practicesand hope that he will recognize thathistoric preservation is an essentialcomponent of those activities.

JOHN ANDREW GALLERY

Executive Director

agreement that the Convention CenterAuthority had signed with the Pennsylvaniaand Historical and Museum Commissionstating that the buildings would be preserved.

This decision came after a month ofstruggle by the Preservation Alliance andothers to preserve the buildings, consid-ered by many to be an outstanding exam-ple of how to relate a modern addition to ahistoric building. The Alliance sought andobtained an initial court order againstdemolition after the Convention CenterAuthority began demolishing the façade ofthe Mitchell / Giurgola addition at 6:30 AMon December 22, 2007. A preliminary in-junction was obtained on January 8, 2008.However, at that time the Convention CenterAuthority and Department of GeneralServices (DGS) challenged the Alliance’sright to seek a hearing on the demolitionbecause the Alliance was not party to theagreement to preserve the buildings. DGS

also argued that it had complied with therequirements of the state History Code to“consult” with the Pennsylvania His-torical and Museum Commission.

After reviewing the judge’sopinion, the PreservationAlliance decided not to file afurther appeal, but to tryinstead to seek interventionfrom Governor Rendell orMayor Nutter. To encourage suchintervention, the Alliance organ-ized a public gathering to supportpreservation of the buildings on January25th, attracting approximately 75 support-ers who lined the Broad Street median infront of the buildings. An editorial in thePhiladelphia Inquirer called on theGovernor to intervene, as did letters fromthe Design Advocacy Group and others. Inspite of such efforts, no intervention was

Both buildings were demolished in earlyFebruary, completing the demolition of 19of the 21 buildings in the path of the con-vention center expansion. Only two remainand those will probably be demolished bythe time this newsletter is received.

On January 22, 2008, Commonwealth Court Judge KeithQuigley dismissed the Preservation Alliance’s request for a hearing on the demolition of the Philadelphia LifeInsurance Co. buildings on N. Broad Street and lifted theinjunction halting demolition. This action gave the

Convention Center Authority and the Department of General Servicesthe ability to demolish the historic buildings, in spite of the written

Philadelphia Life Insurance Co. Buildings Lost

n November 2007, the William PennFoundation awarded the Preservation

support four programs of the Alliance.Funds from the grant will enable the

Preservation programs, which began twoyears ago with a previous grant from theWilliam Penn Foundation. TheNeighborhood Preservation programsinclude the Alliance’s workshops for com-munity organizations, workshops on homerepair and maintenance for owners of historicproperties, the Old House Fair (see storyelsewhere in this newsletter) and technicalassistance to neighborhood organizationsand individuals on historic preservationissues. During 2008 and 2009 the Alliance willexpand both its workshops for communityorganizations and its workshops for home-owners—previously focused in Germantownand West Philadelphia—to other sectionsof the city. In addition, the grant will support

the organization of a citywide gathering ofcommunity organizations interested inpreserving the character of their neighbor-hood in the fall of 2008.

The grant will also provide support for thea comprehensive preservation

plan for Philadelphia. For several years, withother grants, the Alliance has been exploringthe possibility of creating a preservation planfor Philadelphia, supported by a compre-hensive survey of historic resources in thecity. No such survey has ever been under-taken and, in fact, only 4% of the propertiesin the city have been evaluated for their his-toric significance. An historic preservationplan would be coordinated with a newcomprehensive plan for Philadelphia beingproposed by the City Planning Commission,but would focus on preservation issues ingreater detail. The Alliance has been work-ing with the Graduate Program in HistoricPreservation at the University ofPennsylvania to research similar efforts in

other cities and to develop an approach tocreating such a plan. Alliance executivedirector John Andrew Gallery visited LosAngeles last year to meet with the city’spreservation and planning staff to discuss asimilar effort underway in Los Angeles.

A third component of the grant will sup-port efforts to strengthen the policies of theCity of Philadelphia regarding preservation.The Alliance hopes to use these funds todevelop preservation ideas for the ZoningCode Commission and other policy studiesthat might be helpful to the new administra-tion of Mayor Nutter. In addition, some fundswill be used to support the creation of a statetax credit program for historic preservation.

The Alliance is grateful for the Foundation’ssupport. The William Penn Foundation,founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas,is dedicated to improving the quality of lifein the Greater Philadelphia region throughefforts that foster rich cultural expression,strengthen children’s futures, and deepenconnections to nature and community. Inpartnership with others, the Foundation worksto advance a vital, just, and caring communi-ty. Learn more about the Foundation onlineat www.williampennfoundation.org.

Alliance Receives $495,000 grantfrom William Penn Foundation

PHILADELPHIA

STEPHEN GIRARD BUILDING

FAMILY COURT

HASSRICK/SAWYER HOUSE

BOYD THEATER

GERMANTOWN AVENUESTREET PAVING

1900 BLOCK OF SANSOM STREET

FIFTH ANNUALENDANGERED PROPERTIES LIST

Public supporters for preservation of thePhiladelphia Life Insurance Co. buildings.

forthcoming.

creation ofAlliance to cont inue its Neighborhood tion permit more than six months ago even though they had no plans for the

I Alliance a $495,000 two-year grant to

W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M2 preservation matters winter 2008

F I F T H A N N U A L E N D A N G E R E D P R O P E R T I E S L I S T

Threatened, Still Threatened, and Threatened Again!

BACKGROUND Built in 1896, the Stephen Girard Buildingwas designed by prolific Philadelphia architect James H.Windrim and constructed as offices for the Board ofDirectors of City Trusts, the custodians of the Girard Estate.Stephen Girard (1750-1831) bequeathed the majority of hisproperty to charitable and municipal institutions and estab-lished Girard College. Windrim designed many civic, govern-mental and commercial buildings throughout Philadelphia.He was appointed official architect of the Girard Estate in1871. The block also includes a distinctive 1939 Art Modernegarage designed by the Ballinger Co. and Harry Sternfeld.

In 2007, the Board of City Trusts entered into a 75-yearlease with Trinity Capital Advisors, LLC granting Trinitythe right to develop the entire property, including the rightto demolish all of the existing buildings. Neither the StephenGirard Building nor any of the other buildings on the siteare listed on the Philadelphia Register.

THREAT The Board of City Trusts is interested in maxi-mizing income from development of the Girard block tosupport Girard College and the Board’s other responsibili-ties. Trinity Capital believes that to achieve this objectivethe preferred development of the block would be a mixed-use project that includes a large convention hotel withunderground parking and loading, office and retail space,with a pedestrian connection from Market Street toChestnut Street. Trinity believes that such a project cannotbe created without demolishing all the buildings on the block.

SOLUTION There is no question that the development ofthe Girard block represents a unique opportunity to revi-talize east Market and Chestnut streets. It might also be theappropriate location for a hotel to support the conventioncenter expansion. However, it is not clear at the momentthat there is or will be a market for the scale of develop-ment that would require demolition of every building.Trinity Capital should proceed with several options: first, itshould develop the best plan possible that includes preser-vation of the Girard Building and see if it is feasible toimplement that plan before proceeding with plans thatrequire demolition of the building. Second, if it is not pos-sible to develop a large mixed-use project, Trinity shouldrehabilitate the Girard Building and place it on thePhiladelphia Register of Historic Places and use other por-tions of the site for new development.

Stephen Girard Building21 South 12th Street

T H R E AT E N E D

Family Court

Building19th and Vine Street

BACKGROUND When Jacques Gréberrevised the plans for the BenjaminFranklin Parkway in 1917, he redesignedLogan Square and surrounded it with civicbuildings. Gréber modeled the FreeLibrary and Municipal Court Building—now Family Court— after the twin palaceson the Place de la Concorde in Paris,France. Family Court, constructed in 1938-41, was designed by architect John T.Windrim in 1931 to match the design ofthe Free Library. The Works ProgressAdministration (WPA) financed the con-struction. Within the building are stainedglass designs by the D’Ascenzo Studios andpaintings by nine artists sponsored by theWPA, two of which are by Philadelphiamuralists. Philadelphia architects KellyMaiello Inc. produced a master plan for thebuilding began in 1998, and started interiorand exterior restoration work in 2000,which continues today.

Family Court wants to consolidate all ofits activities in one location, as some officesare located at 12th and Chestnut streets. In2007, proposals were suggested to eitherbuild a new Family Court building or relo-cate all Family Court activities to the for-mer Provident Mutual Life InsuranceBuilding, at 45th and Market streets inWest Philadelphia. In either plan, the

Family Court building on the Parkwaywould be vacated.

THREAT The Alliance has heard from sev-eral sources that the City is consideringselling or leasing the Family Court build-ing to a private developer and allowing theconstruction of a tall tower on top of thebuilding for hotel or residential develop-ment, in order to maximize the amount ofmoney the City could receive for the prop-erty. Not only would this plan destroy thecharacter of this important building, but itwould also significantly alter the character

of Logan Square, one of Philadelphia’s mostimportant and most beautiful public spaces.

SOLUTION Keeping Family Court in itspresent location is undoubtedly the mosteconomical solution. Space exists in thearea to construct an “annex” building if it isimportant to consolidate all activities inclose proximity to one another. The eco-nomic benefit of moving Family Courtneeds to be demonstrated before decidingto move to another location.

But the desire to move to a new locationmay overcome economic concerns, in

which case the City will vacate the presentbuilding. The building is far too importantfor the City to give up ownership and fartoo important for its historic character tobe altered. It presents both a challenge andan opportunity to find a way to use thebuilding that will contribute to the collec-tion of cultural institutions along theParkway, while preserving its historicintegrity. Why not look to the Family CourtBuilding as the opportunity to create a newmulti-cultural facility? Perhaps all the City’shistoric preservation, arts and culturaladvocacy organizations could move there,creating an exciting center for education,research and exhibitions about the historyof the City. Perhaps there would be a way tocreate spaces in the building where dance orchamber music groups could perform.Perhaps there are ways to collaborate withMoore College on programs and exhibits, orwith other institutions.

A vision for Family Court should bedeveloped at the same time as plans for anew facility for the court are developed.Mayor Nutter should start the process bycreating a task force that will bring togeth-er institutions along the Parkway, preser-vation and cultural organizations, andcivic and community interests to explorethe building’s potential uses. The Cityshould not relinquish ownership, butshould be open to the type of public/ non-profit partnership that enabled the PleaseTouch Museum to adapt and preserveMemorial Hall.

S T I L L T H R E AT E N E D

Boyd Theatre

1900 block Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

BACKGROUND Built in 1928, the BoydTheatre is the last surviving motion picturepalace in Philadelphia. Acclaimed as one ofthe world’s first exuberant Art Deco-styletheatres, the Boyd is one of Philadelphia’smost important twentieth century enter-tainment landmarks. Designed by Philadel-phia’s premier theatre architects, Hoffmanand Henon, the Boyd’s exterior included atowering vertical sign, retail arcade, ticketbooth, and colossal etched glass windowwith Art Deco motifs. The interior hostsone of Philadelphia’s grandest Art Decolobbies, lined with etched glass mirrors, afoyer including two-story colorful mirrors,marble fountains, elaborate plasterwork,and suites of restroom lounges and a 2,450seat auditorium equipped with an orches-tra pit, pipe organ and a proscenium muralby famed artist Alfred Tulk of the Ram-busch Company.

The Boyd drew local and regional patronsfor blockbuster films and opening nightsuntil 1998, when it closed.

THREAT In 2002, the preservation of theBoyd Theater was the focus of considerablepublic attention. Thanks to the efforts ofthe Committee to Save the Sameric—nowFriends of the Boyd, Inc.—Mayor Street’ssupport for preservation was obtained.When Clear Channel purchased the prop-erty and announced it would restore theBoyd for live entertainment and films itlooked as if the Boyd’s future was secure.However, when Clear Channel’s theaterholdings were divested to Live Nation allwork on the Boyd stopped. Live Nation

offered the theater for sale along with otherproperties in 2006. No sale has taken placeand representatives of Live Nation havefailed to return phone calls, emails and let-ters from both the Preservation Allianceand Friends of the Boyd.

SOLUTION Ideally, Live Nation should putthe theater up for sale and agree to sell onlyto a buyer committed to preserving the the-ater. Mayor Nutter should make the preser-vation of the Boyd Theater a top economicdevelopment priority of his administration.This would include exploring the potentialfor tax increment financing or the forma-tion of a non-profit / private partnership tocreate eligibility for state RedevelopmentGrant assistance. The Boyd Theater is lan-guishing; Mayor Nutter should provide newleadership for its preservation.

BACKGROUND In 2005, the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Transportation (PennDOT),in partnership with SoutheasternPennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA)presented plans to the PhiladelphiaHistorical Commission to repave the 5200- 5400 blocks of Germantown Avenue. Therepaving plan called for the removal of his-toric Belgian blocks in the trolley trackbed. After reviewing the plans and obtain-ing an independent engineering assess-ment, the Historical Commission deniedPennDOT’s application to remove the his-toric paving and determined that theBelgian block should remain for the fullwidth of the street. PennDOT subsequent-ly rejected the Historical Commission’s

decision and informed the Commission itintended to proceed with the originalplans. In a letter to the PhiladelphiaHistorical Commission, PennDOT takesthe position that the Commission’s reviewis merely advisory and not binding.

THREAT Presumably PennDOT is now pro-ceeding to develop its plans to remove theBelgian block from the center portion of thestreet. This action presents two threats topreservation: first, the change in the historiccharacter of the street, and second, the long-term implications that PennDOT will refuseto recognize the Historical Commission’sjurisdiction over other streets in Philadel-phia’s Historic Street Paving District that

are designated as state highways.

SOLUTION PennDOT should recognizethat the Philadelphia Historical Commissiondenied permission to repave the 5200 - 5400blocks of Germantown Avenue because of thehistoric significance of the paving and itsrelationship to a concentration of historicproperties in this area. This is the only sectionof Germantown Avenue where the HistoricalCommission has asked that the full streetpaving be retained. PennDOT should abide bythis decision since the repaving of the street isin issue of local significance and not of state-wide consequence. The City Law Departmentshould take appropriate legal action to en-force the Historical Commission’s decision.

Germantown Avenue Street Paving

winter 2008 preservation matters 3W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M

BACKGROUND In the late 1950s, KennethHassrick, a local avant-garde metal sculptor,and his wife inherited land along Cherry Lane(East Falls, Philadelphia) belonging to his wife’sfamily. Hassrick commissioned modernistarchitect Richard Neutra to design a one-story house with a garage and room above.He later added a studio for his sculpturework and then added a two-story weldingstudio to the back of the house, designed byThaddeus Longstreth, a student of Neutra’s.

The initial house had an open, sprawlinginterior plan, typical of Neutra’s southernCalifornia houses. Kitchen and living roomwere one room divided by a suspendedkitchen cabinet. The exterior character alsofollowed Neutra’s southern California houses;it had a flat room and huge expanses of glassincluding full floor to ceiling, ten foot widesliding glass doors along the living room.

In 1962, Henry Sawyer, an attorney, andhis wife purchased the house and the

Sawyer family retained ownership until2003. Relatively few changes were madeduring this time. The studio was turnedinto a recreation room, the kitchen wasenclosed to give greater separation fromliving rooms and other changes weremade, some of which were subsequentlyremoved.

THREAT The house is now vacant and inpoor condition. It is owned by a developerwho is committed to preservation of thehouse, but has yet to find an interestedbuyer.

SOLUTION The Hassrick house is aunique example of Richard Neutra’s resi-dential architecture in Philadelphia. Itdeserves to be preserved and returned to itsoriginal, distinctive character. Right nowwhat is needed is a buyer who loves mid-20th century modern architecture and iswilling to undertake a sensitive rehabilita-tion of the property. Once rehabilitated, theproperty should be protected by either apreservation easement or by listing on thePhiladelphia Register. In the meantime, thecurrent owner should be sure the propertyis adequately secured and maintained.

Hassrick / Sawyer HouseCherry Lane, East Falls

Irvin R.G

lazer Collection, T

he Athenaeum

of Philadelphia

4 preservation matters winter 2008 W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M

BACKGROUND In 1999, the PhiladelphiaParking Authority (PPA) acquired this L-shaped vacant parcel between 19th and20th streets, Sansom and Walnut streets.PPA’s plans to develop the parcel into amulti-screen movie theater and parkinggarage included the demolition of threehistoric buildings; the Rittenhouse CoffeeShop, Warwick Apartments and Oliver H.

Bair Funeral Home. PPA received approvalfor the demolition from the PhiladelphiaHistorical Commission (PHC), whose ap-proval was appealed by the Alliance andothers. In 2004, Common Pleas CourtJudge Matthew Carrafiello overturnedPHC’s decision.

THREAT Castleway Properties purchasedthe site in 2007 and now proposes to builda 550-foot condominium tower alongSansom Street and a hotel facing WalnutStreet. The plan greatly exceeds the FARallowed by zoning, is in conflict with theCenter City Resident Association’s neigh-borhood plan, and requires the demolitionof two of the three historic buildings.

SOLUTION The same standards for com-pliance with the Historic Preservation Ordi-nance should apply to Castleway as appliedto the Philadelphia Parking Authorty. Castle-way must demonstrate that it is “necessaryin the public interest” for the two buildingsto be demolished. The Alliance does notbelieve that a private luxury condominiumand luxury hotel meets the intent of “pub-lic interest” in the ordinance. Castlewayshould revise its plans to conform to theexisting zoning and to preserve the historicbuildings, or it should come forwardimmediately and submit its plans and thejustification for demolition of the historicbuildings to the Historical Commission.

Fort Washington – In 2007, a devel-oper purchased the Fort Washington Hotel.Restoration of the façade and a rear additionprovided a new life for this ailing building.Plans for a restaurant on the first floor andoffice space in the upper stories are in process.

The Lazaretto – Progress continuesat the Lazaretto site in Tinicum Township.As reported in previous newsletters, a non-profit corporation has been created to man-age the site and board of directors appoint-ed consisting of township, PreservationAlliance, Preservation Pennsylvania andNational Trust appointees. A feasibilitystudy is underway to determine appropriateuse and restoration plans for the site.

Nugent / Presser – In July 2007,the developer returned to the PhiladelphiaHistorical Commission with revised plansfor a 6-story apartment building on the site.The new proposal received approval fromthe commission, but no work has com-menced on the site. Today the Nugent andPresser properties continue to languish dueto a lack of site security, as demonstratedwhen the copper cornice on the Nugentwas stolen during the summer of 2007.

Dilworth House – In November 2007,John Turchi received approval from thePhiladelphia Historical Commission for a16-story condominium tower on the Dil-worth House site. Demolition of the rearand side ells of the Dilworth House will benecessary for the construction of the RobertVenturi designed residential building on the

lot. The Society Hill Civic Association andnearby condominium residents haveappealed the Commission’s decision.

Madison Square – Madison SquareNeighbors, a residents group comprised ofthe 2200 and 2300 blocks of MadisonSquare, have started gathering informationand developing plans to rehabilitate thecommon garden and its wrought iron fence.

Dolington Village – In 2007, theDepartment of Veteran’s Affairs purchasedfarmland from Toll Brothers, on theperiphery of Dolington Village, for a veter-an’s cemetery. Though the village’s charac-ter is less threatened due to this passiveland use, Toll Brothers continues to planfor a new residential housing developmenton land adjacent to this site.

Queen Village – The Philadelphia CityPlanning Commission approved the proposalfor a Queen Village Conservation District, andthe required legislation was introduced intoCity Council in January. If approved, thiswill be the first Conservation District inthe city and will establish design guidelinesfor new development in Queen Village.

Chester Avenue – In September2007, Southeastern Pennsylvania Trans-portation Authority (SEPTA) and the Cityof Philadelphia reached an agreement,allowing SEPTA to remove historic BelgianBlocks from the street bed on the 4100-4900 blocks of Chester Avenue in WestPhiladelphia. This removal was a loss notjust for the street, but also for the HistoricStreet Paving District. (see GermantownAvenue Street Paving).

O S K AR STO N O R OV H O U S E AVA I L AB LE

Modernist architect Oskar Stonorov designed and built two steelhouses on family property in Charlestown Township, ChesterCounty, circa 1946. At the urging of Walter Reuther (who waslooking for opportunities to continue employment of war-timesteel workers), and with the possible collaboration of Louis

Kahn, Stonorov designed the houses as prototypes of mass-produced pre-fab housesmarketed to returning veterans. Stonorov’s designs went by the name of HarmonHouses and were manufactured in Wil-mington (some were eventually built butnot many before the company went outof business).

The Preservation Alliance has disman-tled one of the steel houses (which stood inthe way of a suburban development) andthe labeled parts are now carefully storedin a barn in Charlestown Township. TheAlliance will give the dismantled houseto someone who commits to rebuilding it.

If you are interested in this opportunity,contact Randy Cotton at 215.546.1146 x2 or randy@preservationalliance.com.

T H R E AT E N E D A G A I N

U P D AT E S

Castleway Development19th and Walnut Streets

W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M winter 2008 preservation matters 5

After eight years of negotiations, the PreservationAlliance and the owners of the Bellevue (200 SouthBroad Street, Philadelphia) concluded the year 2007

by successfully completing a preservation easement whichwill protect the landmark structure in perpetuity. In additionto the exterior, the easement is notable in that it also protectsmany of the publicly accessible interior spaces.

The Bellevue Stratford opened in 1904 and quicklybecame Philadelphia’s leading hotel. It was designed in theFrench Renaissance style by architects G.W. and W.D.Hewitt, but it also contains elements of the Colonial,Italian and Greek styles in interior spaces. The buildingunderwent major renovations in 1980 and 1989 and todayis a successful mix consisting of the Park Hyatt hotel, high-end specialty shops, offices, restaurants, banquet facilities,and a busy food court.

(On May 1, the Ballroom at the Bellevue will be the siteof the Preservation Alliance’s Fifteenth-Annual PreservationAchievement Awards Luncheon.)

By donating the easement the owners, BellevueAssociates, can benefit from a charitable-gift tax deduction.

All tax-deductible easement donations require that theexterior of a building be protected, but in the case of theBellevue the owners wished to additionally protect signifi-cant historic interior spaces including the main and hotellobbies, the ballroom and its lobby and grand staircase,and, on the nineteenth floor, the magnificent Barrymore andFounders dining rooms and the Rose Garden Room

(which was originally an open-air rooftop garden). Allthese spaces are accessible to the public.

With the addition of the Bellevue, much of the com-mercial architecture along South Broad Street in CenterCity is protected by easements including the Land TitleBuilding, 1401 Walnut (originally the Manufacturers’Club), the Atlantic Building, and 215 S. Broad (originallythe Hotel Walter).

At the end of last year, property owners also donatedpreservation easements to the Alliance on three other his-toric properties: Quarters M-7 in the Navy Yard, 1215Locust Street, and 929 Clinton Street.

Part of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Historic District,Quarters M-7 was built in 1917 to house Marine officers. Itwas designed by the prominent Philadelphia firm of Rankin,Kellogg and Crane in the Georgian Revival style. The buildingis currently being converted to offices by P & A Associates,which has previously developed other historic buildings in therevitalized Navy Yard.

1215 Locust Street was originally designed as a semi-detached dwelling by noted architect Frank Miles Day. It waslater converted to a hotel, then restored as a single dwellingin 1974 by the University of Pennsylvania, and recently con-verted to distinctive condominium units by architects (anddevelopers) David and Ligia Slovic. The notable RenaissanceRevival-styled façade features orange Roman brickwork,marble panels, terra-cotta bas-relief ornamentation, leaded-glass windows, and a deeply overhanging wooden cornice.

Also recently converted to condominium units is 929Clinton Street, which, like many of its neighbors, is a well-preserved Georgian/Federal brick townhouse in the ClintonStreet National Register Historic District. Two blocks ofClinton Street were originally developed in 1835-1850 as afashionable residential area, and the quiet, street-linedneighborhood remains such today. Including 929 ClintonStreet, six properties in this historic district are protected byAlliance preservation easements.

(For more information on how to donate preservationeasement to the Alliance go to the “Programs” page atwww.preservationalliance.com or contact Randy Cottonat 215.546.1146 x 2 for a free easement booklet.)

E A S E M E N T S

Since its inception in early 2006,the Alliance’s Historic Properties Repair Program(HPRP) has provided grants to 41 low- and moderate-income homeowners inPhiladelphia to help pay for exterior restoration projects.The grants pay the dif-

ference between non-historic “remodeling” and the cost of a restoration project that meetsthe standards of the Philadelphia Historical Commission. About $1.2 million in grants

will be awarded to qualified homeowners with funds from the City’s NeighborhoodTransformation Initiative and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

To date, twenty projects have been completed, another 21 are in progress, and approx-imately twenty more are pending. Visit www.preservationalliance.com/Programs formore information on HPRP. Shown here are examples of recently completed projects.

125 League Street (Queen Village) is a raresurviving example of an early 19th-centurywood-frame rowhouse. The property wasofficially listed as historic by Philadelphiafifty years ago, making it one the city’s ear-liest such designations. A grant fromHPRP helped pay for the restoration of thewindows, roof and dormer.

1008 South 49th Street is a Queen-Anne style twin house in WestPhiladelphia; restoration included the repair of eaves and gutters,stucco, woodwork, and painting the exterior in a three-colorVictorian palette.

5132 Tabor Road is an original house in the 1813 Whitaker Millvillage along Tacony Creek (northeast Philadelphia); project workincluded the restoration of the cornice, eaves and gutters.

Historic Properties Repair Program Continues

The Bellevue and ThreeOther Historic PropertiesProtected by Easements

W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE ALLIANCE’S 2007 ANNUAL APPEAL* denotes $101 and up

Ms. Joanne Aitken, AIA

Ms. Edna Andrade

Mr. John H. Arnold

Mr. Joseph Barker

Robert and Eleanor Barr

Mr. Stephen Bartlett

Ms. Suzanna E. Barucco

Mr. William Becker

Mr. Perry Benson, Jr.

Mr. Michael Berkwits

Mr. Roy Bernat

Mr. Allen D. Black*

Mr. Lawrence D. Bodine

Mr. and Mrs. Hans Bombeck

Ms. Joy Ellen Booth

Mr. Mark Brack

Ed and Sophie Bronstein

Mrs. Ruth E. Brown*

Ms. Sheila M. Brown

Dr. and Mrs. Nick Bryan

Paul Bugos and Lorraine McCarthy

Mr. and Mrs. Carter Buller

Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Burkett

Mr. Christian A. Busch

Mr. John Linton Butler

James and Diane Calkins

Ms. Christine M. Cayer

Ms. Janet Chapman-Mason

Cloud Gehshan Associates*

Mr. and Mrs. Mark Cochard

Mr. Louis Coffey

Ms. Mary K. Cole

Mr. Paul S. Connors

Mr. & Mrs. Howard Coonley II

Ms. Jeanne F. Coryell

Mrs. Patricia Cregan

Ms. Karen Y. Cromley

Mr. Edward D'Alba*

Joseph D'Antonio M.D.

Dr. Patricia M. Danzon

Matthew DeJulio*

Mr. Avi Decter

Mr. David G. DeLong

Mrs. Helen B. Desher

Mr. James Dickinson

Mr. Marc T. Dinardo

Ms. Jane E. Dorchester

Mr. G. Morris Dorrance, Jr.

Mr. Edmund Doubleday

Mrs. Peggy Duckett

Ed and Sue Duffy

Mr. William Eberhardt

Mr. T. Arden Eidell

Ron Emrich and Marc Coleman

Ms. Barbara V. Farley*

Mr. James A. Farmer II

Mrs. Charlotte T. Feldman

Mr. Michael Patrick Felker

Mr. James Fennell

Ms. Mary Jane Fischer

Mr. Mark Flood

Ms. Helen H. Ford*

Gimme Shelter

Dodi Fordham & Sam Howe

Donald and Hilke Frankenfield*

Mr. and Mrs. Klaus Fuelleborn

Mr. and Mrs. Martin Goldberg

Mr. Jonathan Goldstein

Frank and Jean J. Greenberg

Mr. and Mrs. G. Davis Greene

Ms. Nan Gutterman &

Mr. William Irby Jr.

Bernice and Bernard Hamel

Mr. Marshall Hamilton

Ms. Carol Ann Harris

Ms. Winnie Harris

Dr. Russell Harris and

Mr. John Casavecchia

Mr. Henry G. Hart, Jr.

Mr. Ed Hillis*

Mr. Robert J. Hotes AIA

Mr. Francis J. Hughes

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Hyndman, Jr.

Mr. Louis A. Iatarola

Mr. and Mrs. L. Stockton Illoway

Ms. Carol A. Ingald

Ms. Doris E. Italiano

J.J. DeLuca Company Inc.

Ms. Jen Jasuta

Mrs. Gay G. Johnson

Mr. George Bryan Jones

Mr. Kenneth S. Kaiserman

Barbara and Jerry Kaplan*

Mr. and Mrs. Warren J. Kauffman

Mr. Thomas H. Keels

Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Keen

Mr. William Keough

Ms. Phyllis Kidder

Mrs. W. Stanton Kip

Vern and Jennifer Knapp*

Ms. Nancy D. Kolb*

Mrs. Sally L. Kuder

Mr. Lucius Kwok

Mr. Harry Kyriakodis

Ms. Bette E. Landman

Ms. Laura A. Lane

Chris and Lindsay Lane

Mr. David M. Lauer

Mr. Lance E. Laver

Judge Samuel M. Lehrer

Judith E. Levin

Levine and Company

Mr. Berthold W. Levy

Sylvia and Norman Lieberman

Loughry and Lindsay LLC

Mrs. Cecily Littleton

Mr. William A. Loeb

Mr. Michael Lombardi

Ms. Diana J. Mackie*

Kelly / Maiello Architects

Ms. Marcia Makadon*

Elliott L. Mancall, M.D.

Ms. Michelle Marx

Mr. James F. McCaffery

Mr. Daniel K. McCoubrey

Ms. Nancy Mennuti

Mr. and Mrs. Philippus Miller, Jr.

Dr. Randall M. Miller

Mr. C.J. Moore

Drs. Roger Moss and Gail Winkler

Mrs. Nancy Most*

Mr. and Mrs. John D. Moyer

Anthony Naccarato / Peter Naccarato

Ms. Judith A. Nagle

Ted Newbold and

Helen Cunningham

Ms. Edith Newhall and

Mr. David Walters

Ms. Iris Newman

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Newman

Ms. Eileen M. O'Brien and

Mr. Samuel G. Hopkins

Mr. Louis H. Oschmann

Mr. Jan T. Pasek

Mr. John Pcsolar and

Dr. Alan Sandman

Steven J. Peitzman, M.D.

Ms. Judith A. Peters

Mr. Paul E. Pickering

Ms. Nancy Pontone

Ms. Janet Greenstein Potter

Carl Primavera, Esq. / Klehr Harrison

Harvey Branzburg & Ellers

Ms. Anne L. Prosseda

Mr. William H. Richards

Dr. and Mrs. Wallace Ritchie, Jr.

Theodore and

Margaret Armstrong Robb

Mr. David Robb

Ms. Joan Roberts

Mrs. Norman Robinson*

Thomas and Tania Rorke

Martin Jay Rosenblum

Mr. Hugh G. Rouse*

Ms. Rachel Royer

Mr. Ronald Rubin*

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Rugart

Mr. Greg Schopp

Mr. and Mrs. Harold A. Sorgenti

Ms. Carol M. Spawn

Dr. Paula Spilner

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony D. Stagliano

Mr. Jonathan Stavin

Mr. John M. Stevenson

Mr. Marvin D. Suer

Mr. Mark Ueland

Ueland, Junker, McCauley, Nicholson

Unkefer Brothers Construction

Mr. Don L. Verdiani

Mr. Fred Vincent

Mr. Mark K. Wagenveld*

Mr. Kenneth Weinstein

Mr. Anthony Wells /

George Woodward Co.

Ms. Ann J. Wilkerson

Mr. Oliver P. Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Wilson

Miss Lisa M. Witomski*

Ms. Jean K. Wolf

Ms. Diane-Louise Wormley

Philadelphia Life Insurance Co.

Legal Fund Contributors

Suzanna Barucco

William Becker

Perry Benson, Jr.

Blaine Bonham

Catherine G. Broh

Ed Bronstein

Michael Cole

Katherine Dowdell

Shawn P. Evans

Mary Ellen Langsdorf

Thomas P. McKernan

Gray Smith

Kristin Szwajkowski

James P. Templeton

Marvin and Leila Verman

6 preservation matters winter 2008

Mayor Michael Nutter announced onJanuary 8, 2008, the appointment ofJonathan Farnham, PhD, as executive

director of the Philadelphia Historical Commission,along with a number of other permanent and actingappointments to City departments. Jon Farnhamhas been serving as Acting Director of the Com-mission since June 2005, having previously servedas Preservation Planner at the Commission since2002. Jon received his PhD in the History, Theory,and Criticism of Architecture as well as his M.A. inArchitecture from Princeton University. He alsoholds an M.A. in Art History from the University ofMassachusetts Amherst. Among Jon’s many contri-butions at the Commission was the preparation of thenomination for Guild House by Venturi and Rauchto the Philadelphia Register, praised by Commissionmembers as an outstanding work of scholarship.

Mayor Nutter also appointed eight new membersof the Historical Commission. The new members,and the positions they fill as required by the CityOrdinance, are: David Amburn, Amburn-JarosinskiArchitects (architect with historic preservationexperience); Leslie Benoliel, Philadelphia Develop-

ment Partnership (representative of a communityorganization); Della Clark, The Enterprise Center(representative of a CDC); Richardson Dilworth III,Assistant Professor, Drexel University (historian);Sam Sherman, Sam Sherman Associates (developer);Robert Thomas AIA, Campbell Thomas Architects(architectural historian); and attorneys JohnMattioni and Denise Smyler.

Mayor Nutter appoints Jon Farnhamand New Historical Commission

“ Our unique historic character is central to our identity, our quality of life

and neighborhood experience, and ultimately to the city’s economic development.

Preservation will be an integrated component of planning and development. ”MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER

CORNERSTONE SOCIETY

* Denotes Leadership Circle Member

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth P. Balin

Ms. Kelly Boyd

Alan and Constance Buerger*

Ms. Bobbye Burke

Mr. Richard Cohen

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Michael Cohen

Mary Werner DeNadai, FAIA

Mr. Allan Domb

Kevin and Betsy Donohoe

Ms. Sandi Foxx-Jones

Mr. William Frankel

Mr. John Andrew Gallery

Dr. and Mrs. Henry A. Jordan

Mr. Leroy E. Kean

Susan and Leonard Klehr

Ms. Janet S. Klein*

Mr. Marian A. Kornilowicz

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene LeFevre

Mr. and Mrs. L. Gie Liem

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew S. Margolis

Mr. & Mrs. David G. Marshall

Mr. and Mrs. Don Meginley*

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Millhollen

John D. Milner, FAIA

Mrs. Nancy Most

Mr. Paul Pincus

Peter and Caroline Piven

Mr. Paul Steinke

Ms. Rebecca Stoloff

Ms. Kate F. Stover and

Mr. Timothy D. Wood*

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley F. Taraila

Mr. Douglas C. Walker*

Ted and Stevie Wolf*

CORPORATE SPONSORS

10 Rittenhouse Square

The Bancorp Bank

Blue Rock Construction, Inc.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Citizens Bank

Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC

DOMUS Construction

Dranoff Properties, Inc.

George Woodward Co.

Haverstick-Borthwick

John Milner Architects

Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg

Ellers LLP

L.F. Driscoll Co.

Masonry Preservation Group, Inc.

Milner + Carr Conservation, LLC

Paradigm Realty Alliance, LLC

Philadelphia Management Co.

Saul Ewing, LLP

The Shusterman Foundation

Toll Brothers, Inc.

Vitetta

BENEFACTOR MEMBERS

Ms. Deborah Dilworth Bishop

PATRON MEMBERS

Mrs. Joseph T. Beardwood III

Mr. Eugene Buckley and Mr. Colin Likens

Ms. Helen H. Ford

Mr. and Mrs. John C. Haas

Mr. Henry G. Hart, Jr.

Ms. S. Yvonne Novak and

Mr. Aaron Weindling

SUSTAINER MEMBERS

Mr. George D. Batcheler, Jr.

Mr. Richard C. Boothby

Mrs. Ruth E. Brown

Ms. Jeanne F. Coryell

Mr. John K. Cugini

Tobey and Mark Dichter

Ms. Amber Eichner

Ms. Lois Frischling

Ms. Adena Herskovitz

Mr. William F. Hooper III

Barbara and Jerry Kaplan

Mr. Robert W. Loder

Ms. Diana J. Mackie

Susan O. and Edward A. Montgomery, Jr.

Mr. David Robb

Dan and Barbara Rottenberg

Mr. David Seltzer

Mr. James B. Straw

Ms. Gina M. Sullivan

PROFESSIONAL PARTNER

MEMBERS

1:1:6 Technologies Incorporated

A.D. Marble & Company, Inc.

A.R. Palewski Architectural Conservation

AIA Philadelphia

Allied Construction Services II, Inc.

Architectural Windows of Philadelphia

Archway Builders Ltd.

Atkin Olshin Schade Architects

Blackney Hayes Architects

BLT Architects

Brawer & Hauptman Architects

Bruce E. Brooks & Associates

Buell Kratzer Powell Ltd.

C.D. Kaller, Inc.

Campbell Thomas & Co. Architects

Cecil Baker & Associates

Cliveden of the National Trust

Cloud Gehshan Associates

The Color Doctor

Tom Crane Photography, Inc.

Cultural Resource Consulting Group

Daniel J. Keating Co.

David Flaharty, Sculptor

David L. S. Walters Graphic Design

David Wolfe Design

deGruchy Masonry Restoration

Duane Morris, LLP

E. Allen Reeves, Inc.

East Bradford Township

Eichler & Moffly Realtors

Fairmount Park Commission

Fairmount Park Historic Pres. Trust, Inc.

Wyatt Gallery Photography

Gluckman Mayner Architects

GMAC Mortgage LLC

Greater Philadelphia Tourism

Marketing Corp.

H2L2 Architects/Planners LLC

Ms. Donna Ann Harris

Heritage Consulting Group

Heritage Metalworks

Historic Germantown Preserved, Inc.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Hyperion Bank

J.J. DeLuca Company, Inc.

J.S. Cornell & Son

Jacobs/Wyper Architects LLP

Jeffery Hayes Architect

Ms. Joanna Dillon Rios

John Canning & Co.

John Milner Associates, Inc.

JRB Historic Restoration, Inc.

Kaiserman Company, Inc.

Keast & Hood Co.

Kelly / Maiello Architects

Ms. Phyllis Kidder

Kise Straw & Kolodner

Klein & Hoffman, Inc.

Knapp Masonry

Matthew J. Koenig, AIA

Kreilick Conservation, LLC

Landmark Facilities Group, Inc.

Levine and Company

J. Scott Laughlin, Realtor

The Lighting Practice, Inc.

Loughry and Lindsay LLC

Mr. George Lyons

Magargee Brothers Painting

Mark B. Thompson Associates

Martin Jay Rosenblum RA & Associates

Matthew Millan Architects, Inc.

McMullen Roofing, Inc.

Menke + Menke Landscape Architects

Mr. Jeff Moak

Nason Construction, Inc.

Mr. Nicholas Thaete

Northstar Advisors LLC

O'Donnell & Naccarato, Inc.

Palmer Waterproofing, Inc.

Patricia Marian Cove Interior Design

Patrick J. Murphy & Assoc., Inc

Patterson and Perkiss

Paul Thompson Architecture

Pearl Properties

Pennrose Properties

Pennsylvania Historic

Museum Commission

The Philadelphia Housing Authority

Philadelphia Industrial

Development Corp.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Plumstead Studios

Powers & Co.

Premier Building Restoration, Inc.

Provenance Architectural Salvage

PZ Architects

Rampart Holdings

Ray Kaller Roofing, Inc.

Reading Terminal Market Corp.

RMJM Hillier

The Roof Doctor

Ross O'Neal Artists and Gilders

Russell Roofing

Schade and Bolender

Shelterfield Valuation Service

Society Hill Civic Association

Steven Erisoty Paintings Conservation

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP

Susan Maxman & Partners

Switzenbaum & Associates

Tackett and Company, Inc.

Tague Lumber, Inc.

Taylor Wiseman & Taylor

Temple Town Realty

Thornton-Tomasetti Associates, Inc.

Tri County Inspection Co., Inc.

UCI Architects

The Union League of Philadelphia

U.S. Green Home

Ueland, Junker, McCauley, Nicholson

Unkefer Brothers Construction

Urban Engineers, Inc.

Urban Partners

Walter & Jackson, Inc.

Watson & Henry Associates

Willie Fetchko Graphic Design

Loretta C. Witt, CRS, GRI, Associate Broker

Wu & Associates, Inc.

W W W. P R E S E R VAT I O N A L L I A N C E . C O M

The 2008 Old House Fair will takeplace on Saturday, March 22,2008, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

at the Germantown Friends School, 31 W.Coulter Street, Philadelphia, PA.

This year’s event has been expanded toinclude 75 booths featuring professionalvendors, consultants and specialists fromthe region’s preservation and restorationindustry, as well as representatives of stateand local preservation and design organi-zations. The fair will include service andproduct workshops, and demonstrationsand presentations of techniques for main-taining historic properties. Among theopportunities at the fair will be a free15-minute exterior paint color consultationswith “The Color Doctor”, John CrosbyFreeman, featured in the Old HouseJournal and free 15-minute consultationswith old house specialists at the “Ask theExperts” table.

The 2007 Old House Fair was attended byapproximately 700 persons in spite of a snowand ice storm the day before — something

we hope to avoid this year!For Tickets or more infor-

mation contact: George Hoessel,Old House Fair Coordinator215.546.1146 x 7 george@pre-servationalliance.com or visitwww.preservationalliance.com.

The Old House Fair is supported, in part,by a grant from the William Penn Foun-dation, and by the following sponsors:

Andrew R. Palewski,Architectural Conservation,Architectural Windows ofPhiladelphia, Historic Ger-mantown Preserved, KnappMasonry, Masonry Preser-vation Group, Pennsylvania

Historical and Museum Commission,Provenance Architectural Salvage andRussell Roofing.

The 2008 Old House Fair

Preservation of a neighborhood hap-pens one house at a time, throughthe investment and hard work of

homeowners. Are you aware of someone inyour neighborhood that has done such agreat job on restoring their home that theyshould get an award? Has the former eye-sore in your neighborhood become theshining star on the block? Have you done agreat job yourself? It is time to stand upand take a bow! The Preservation Alliancewould like your help in identifying localpreservation heroes as candidates for our2008 Awards of Recognition. We are look-ing for suggestions for nominees fromthroughout the region who have complet-ed an outstanding restoration of theirhome. Awards will be presented at the 2008Old House Fair.

For more information on the awards anda nomination form, please visit our websitewww.preservationalliance.com or contactPatrick Hauck, Director of NeighborhoodPreservation Programs at 215. 546.1146 orpatrick@preservationalliance.com

2008 HomeownerRecognitionAwards

winter 2008 preservation matters 7

THANK YOU! The Preservation Alliance expresses its appreciation to the following organizations and individuals.

Non

prof

it O

rgan

izat

ion

U.S

.Pos

tage

PA

IDPh

ilade

lphi

a,PA

Perm

it N

o.98

7

8 preservation matters winter 2008 WWW.PR ESE RVATIONALLIANCE.COM

ALABASTER SPONSORSARC Wheeler John Milner ArchitectsMilner + Carr Conservations LLC

MARBLE SPONSORSCitizens BankThe Shusterman Foundation

AIA PhiladelphiaINTECH Construction Inc.John Milner AssociatesKeast & Hood Co.

Kelly / Maiello ArchitectsRampart Holdings / Tackett & Co.Stradley Ronon Stevens Young LLP

pr

ese

rv

at

ion

A

llia

nc

efo

r gr

eate

r p

hil

ad

elp

hia

1616

Wal

nu

t St

reet

,Su

ite

1620

Ph

ilad

elp

hia

,PA

191

03

RE

TU

RN

SE

RV

ICE

RE

QU

EST

ED

1616 Walnut Street, Suite 1620 Philadelphia PA 19103

TEL 215.546.1146 FAX 215.546.1180 E-MAIL info@preservationalliance.com WEB SITE www.preservationalliance.com

B OA R D O F D I R E CTO R S

Marian Kornilowicz, chairmanKathy Dowdell AIA, vice chair

Rosemarie Fabien, secretaryChristophe Terlizzi, treasurer

Ramona Riscoe Benson, Peter Benton,Omar Blaik, Carl E. Dranoff,

Linda Galante, Esq., Susan Glassman,Stephen Hague, Eugene Lefevre,Edward Liva, Betty Marmon,

Dr. Randall Mason, John D. Milner, FAIA,Harry Schwartz, Esq., William Schwartz,

Paul Pincus, Rbecca Stoloff, Elise Vider, Hal Wheeler

STAFF

John Andrew Gallery, Executive DirectorJ. Randall Cotton, Associate Director

Pippa Scott Liebert, Director of Membership and Special Events

Patrick Hauck, Director of NeighborhoodPreservation Programs

Elizabeth Blazevich, Advocacy AssociateP R E S E R VAT I O N M AT T E R S

David L. S. Walters, Design & Production

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia actively promotes

the appreciation, protection, and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings,

communities and landscapes

PRESERVATION ALLIANCE FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA

Join in the efforts of the Preservation Alliance to preserve the architectural treasures and historic places of the Philadelphia region.

For member benefits, go to our website

www.preservationalliance.com and join online or use the form below:

Student $25 Individual $35 Household $50 Contributor $100

Sustainer $250 Patron $500 Benefactor $1,000

Total amount enclosed: $ ___________________________

My check (payable to Preservation Alliance) is enclosed

Please charge my: Visa Master Card American Express Card

Card #: __________________________________ Exp. Date: ______________

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

PHONE (day) ___________________ PHONE (eve) _____________________

EMAIL _________________________

I prefer not to receive membership gifts etc.

Please mail this application to: Preservation Alliance 1616 Walnut Street, Suite 1620, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Memberships are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. A copy ofthe official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free within Pennsylvania:

1.800.732.0999. Registration does not mean endrsement.

GRANITE SPONSORS

Are You a Member? Are You a Member?

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!