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Hidden City Philadelphia
Finding Minerva Parker Nichols, Philadelphia’s Forgotten Architect
A significant figure in architectural history belongs to Philadelphia, but unlike other noteworthy names, hers has largely been overlooked. A new exhibition seeks to correct that omission and restore the legacy of Minerva Parker Nichols (1862-1949), the first woman to establish an independent architectural practice in the United States. “Our...
New Exhibition Reveals a Quiet Revolution in American Public History
In early February I was invited to join a friend as a guest for the opening celebration of a new exhibit at Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR). The exhibit, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, begins with James Forten, who as a nine-year-old free African American was believed to have stood in the crowd at the Pennsylvania Statehouse during the first reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776.
Singing the Praises of Dr. Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson
Black women’s histories have either been ignored or mentioned only in their support of Black male figures for far too long. More Philadelphians should know about and cherish the trailblazing legacy of Dr. Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson. The Friends of the Tanner House (FOTH) is a Black-led collective of...
Op-Ed: It’s Time to Rethink SEPTA Options for Contemporary Commuter Connectivity
With SEPTA’s recent decision to pause its King of Prussia (KOP) rail line project, speculation on what should replace it has predictably focused on building the long-discussed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway, our region’s other big transit proposal. This alternative would yield a much higher level of passengers served, but it shares with the KOP project the risk of budget overruns that could potentially crush SEPTA. Planning costs alone for the KOP project have already set SEPTA back $53 million that it will never recoup. The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway, first proposed in 1913, has been studied a few times in the past, but so far has received little contemporary planning research, indicating that completion would be far into the future where the cost risk is greatest. PennDOT announced plans to study the proposed subway line in November 2022 as part of the City’s Routes for Change program. SEPTA’s chief executive, Leslie Richards, stated in January that the project would cost at least $3 billion and that there is no way that the agency could secure funding.
Historic House in Chestnut Hill Saved at the 11th Hour
In late January, chain-link fencing was installed along the perimeter of the .9-acre property at 399 East Willow Grove Avenue in Chestnut Hill. Still more alarming, a backhoe appeared in the front yard. Neighbors learned that the new owner had been granted a permit for the demolition of the house at the corner of East Willow Grove and Crittendon Street. This is not just any house. Teviot, a name that evokes 17th century peerage and the River Teviot that flows in southern Scotland, was designed in 1888 by Wilson Eyre Jr., one of the most distinctive architects that practiced in the Philadelphia region.
Heated Debates Devour Five-Hour Historical Commission Meeting
During the five-hour long meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission on March 10, members approved one new addition to the local register, the Tudor Revival-style Cresheim Valley Apartments in Mount Airy. It also offered advice on the value of historic districts and what exactly a historic designation means and does not mean, suffered the slings and arrows of an angry public, and groped around for middle ground with a combative attorney representing the owners of a former estate in Overbrook Farms.
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia Refreshed with Major Renovations
Among the city’s many, old institutions, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is not the oldest, but certainly is one of the most venerable. It was founded 1814 as a subscription library before the establishment of public libraries. In addition to providing its members with access to books, the Athenaeum was also chartered to collect historical materials focusing on American arts such as architecture. Today, it houses significant archives of hundreds of thousands of architectural drawings, photographs, and manuscripts.
Op-Ed: Honor Black History All Year Long Through Historic Preservation
Carter G. Woodson, the originator of Black History Month, spent considerable time in Philadelphia including at the Tanner-Alexander family residence located at 2908. W. Diamond Street. The blueprint that Woodson established was anchored by the idea that we should be honoring Black history all year long with a month serving as a platform for showcasing promising projects and undervalued treasures that emerged from the labor of the previous year.
Ghosts Signs of Philadelphia: Esslinger’s Brewery in Callowhill
The busy intersection of 10th Street, Callowhill Street, and Ridge Avenue is home to one of the oldest, continually-used industrial facilities in the city. The three-sided Art Deco facade of the former Esslinger’s brewery and its stone ghost sign reading “ESSLINGER’S INC. SINCE 1868” is a testament to Philadelphia’s rich beer brewing history. Although Esslinger’s is the most well-known former occupant, the company actually repurposed the buildings, which date back to sometime between 1826 and 1834 and much earlier than the brewery’s occupation of the site from 1879 until 1964. In 2016, Oscar Beisert of The Keeping Society of Philadelphia nominated the former brewery complex at 401-29 N. 10th Street for historic designation and parts of it were listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Beisert’s research was pivotal in revealing the dense layers of industrial heritage at this site.
New Book Examines Three Centuries of Civic Reform in Philadelphia
The call for reform is a current topic in political circles. To take a long view, however, as political scientist Richardson Dilworth does, it can be seen as just one in a cycle of reform over time. In the case of Philadelphia, it goes back all the way to the city’s founding in 1682.
Boot & Saddle Sign on Broad Street Added to the Philadelphia Register
The February meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission, clocking in at five hours, was filled with continuances, postponements, and interjections by the City’s Law Department. Despite the packed agenda, the iconic Boot & Saddle neon sign was added to the local register, a little Mission Revival-style Gulf Oil gas station was approved for relocation to Fairmount Park, and several debatable development projects were approved.
18th Century Chocolate Maker Wowed Philly With His Confection
By the latter half of the 18th century, Philadelphia, one of the main seaports in British North America, was importing high quantities of cocoa from various sources categorized in the Ledgers of Imports and Exports as “British” (West Indies), “Foreign” (non-British or mainland source), “Coastwise” (Atlantic ports), or simply “North American.”
Residential Units to Double in Parts of Northern Liberties
The census tract for a central portion of Northern Liberties (0367.00) includes the area bounded by Poplar, Front, Vine and 6th Streets. According to the 2020 Census, the tract had 1,557 housing units with a population of 2,747. Nine new developments in this tract, either planned or currently under construction, will add 1,914 housing units to the tract, more than doubling the current number.
Op-Ed: Saving the Town that Asbestos Built
Ambler, just north of Philadelphia, has come a long way from its heyday as the “Asbestos Capital of the World,” when the company town served as a fiefdom of Richard V. Mattison and the empire he built out of the toxic fiber. Many remnants of that era remain,...
Stoneleigh Flourishes With the Gift of Conservation
The days of landed gentry residing on sprawling estates with staff managing their households and grounds has long since faded into 19th century novels. Which explains why most historic Main Line estates are converted into condos, houses of worship, or private schools. Others are subdivided or demolished. Stoneleigh, a 42-acre estate located at 1829 County Line Road in Villanova, narrowly escaped a similar fate. Today it owes its existence as a free public garden to a family’s passion for conservation and a community willing to fight development.
African American Church and Art Deco Store Added to the Local Register
The ambitious agenda for the January meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission was met with many continuances. However, a historic African American church, a Art Deco store, and a small row of Georgian Revival homes were added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Mount Olivet Tabernacle Baptist Church at...
Restoration Role Model: Dina Wind Foundation
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Fall 2022 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. A Grand Jury Winner in the Alliance’s 2022 Preservation Achievement Awards, the Dina Wind Foundation elegantly converted a 100-year-old stable in South Philadelphia into a multipurpose arts space and community resource. Interior designer Barbara Eberlein, who oversaw the renovation, and collaborator Gabrielle Canno, principal of Canno Design, talk about the experience.
What’s Next for the Roundhouse? Confronting the Past to Shape the Future
Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Winter 2023 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. “What do we do with the Roundhouse?” As the Philadelphia Police Department completed its long-anticipated move from its distinctive curved concrete headquarters at 7th and Race Streets to a repurposed Philadelphia Inquirer tower at 400 North Broad Street, the City turned to that lingering question.
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Hidden City Philadelphia of CultureTrust is dedicated to exploring Philadelphia’s urban landscape in all its complexity through journalism and public history.
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