Your June  Preservation Newsletter
Two More Nominations Recommended for Approval
 
Two Alliance nominations have just been recommended for approval by the Philadelphia Historical Commission's Committee on Historic Designation.
- American Protestant Hall at 1415 Locust St

Decker & Son is a neighborhood landmark along the commercial corridor of W. Girard Avenue. Its most distinctive feature is its ornate sheet metal cornice, an architectural demonstration advertising the company's many skilled offerings.
 
The American Protestant Hall is one of the earliest, still extant, Center City commercial buildings west of Broad St. Constructed in 1858 in the Italian Renaissance Revival Style, it has also hosted a diverse and complicated array of tenants. The American Protestant Hall had origins as an anti-Catholic nativist organization, yet over time was home to fraternal organizations, preparatory schools, and even Catholic education and non-denominational ethical societies.
 
Both properties will be considered for final approval at the July 12th meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.
September 28 
2019 Architectural Dinner  at the 
Philadelphia Lazaretto

The Preservation Alliance's 5th Annual Architectural Dinner takes us to one of the area's most historic yet least recognized landmarks: The Philadelphia Lazaretto. Erected along the Delaware River just south of the city in 1800 by the Philadelphia Board of Health, this handsome Federal era structure was nearly lost in the early 2000's in favor of airport parking. After a faithful restoration, the building now serves as the town hall for Tinicum Township.

The evening will begin with cocktails on the long front porch overlooking the Delaware River. Then a full-course dinner will be served in the Lazaretto's newly renovated main gallery. Dr. David Barnes, Associate Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and author of a forthcoming book about the history of the Lazaretto, will speak on the fascinating and multi-faceted tale of this stately landmark on the banks of the Delaware.
 
Welcome 2019 YFPA Steering Committee Members
 
On Saturday, June 15th, the Steering Committee of the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance gathered at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia for their annual planning retreat. 

YFPA introduced its 2019-2020 steering committee at the retreat and thanked the four departing members for their generous service to the Preservation Alliance.

Front row (l to r): Leah Silverstein (new); Kevin King (continuing); Andrew Hart (continuing); Lynne Calamia (new); Amelia Popovic (departing co-chair); John Armstrong (new)
Back row (l to r): Wesley Noonan-Sessa (continuing); Ben Davis (new); Ellen Taraskiewicz (continuing); Sam Pickard (incoming co-chair); Greg Prichard (new); Lauren Shaughnessy (incoming co-chair); Kara Smith (departing)
Not pictured: Amy Ricci (continuing); Sam Kuntz (departing co-chair); Shannon Pitt (departing)
2019 Preservation Achievement Awards

United by a love for historic architecture, hundreds of guests assembled on June 5th for the 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards at Vie, 600 North Broad Street in Philadelphia. 

Dr. David Brownlee gave the keynote address on the life and legacy of Horace Trumbauer, now 150 years young, followed by recognition of 21 outstanding preservation projects. We also recognized several individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field headlined by David Hollenberg, AIA , former university architect at Penn. Hollenberg closed it out with heartfelt remarks upon receiving the James Biddle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Historic Preservation.
 
Six Area Projects Awarded Historic Tax Credits

Congratulations to several Philadelphia-area developers on being selected for the latest round of PA Historic Tax Credits for their projects.  We were pleased to honor one of them, Abigail Vare Lofts, with a Preservation Achievement Award earlier this month.

Tour Series Showcases Preservation Achievement 

This past Wednesday, the Alliance kicked off its Preservation Achievement Award Winner Tours with a visit to True Hand Society, a custom tattoo and graphic design studio located in a 155-year old Fishtown church . Owner Mike Ski and general contractor Henry Bailey detailed the trials and triumphs of adapting one of Philadelphia's historic sacred spaces for new uses.

Discover more Preservation Achievement success stories next week on two special evening tours. Monday, June 24, join us at Cherry Street Pier on the Delaware River, where architect Brian Phillips will show how a landmark of the industrial waterfront has been transformed into vibrant public arts and culture space. Wednesday, June 26, on to University of Pennsylvania, where David Hollenberg, recipient of the James Biddle Award, will walk guests through the rehabilitation of Louis Kahn's iconic Richards Medical Research Laboratories.

Is there a Preservation Achievement Award winner that you would love to see up close and behind the scenes? Share your suggestions with us on Facebook, Twitter, or email to tours@preservationalliance.com.
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