Your February Preservation Newsletter
"As for really new ideas of any kind--no matter how ultimately profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be--there is no leeway for such chancy trial, error and experimentation in the high-overhead economy of new construction. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings.
New ideas must use old buildings."
- Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Advocacy Update
Jewelers Row Historic District Unanimously Approved in Committee
We are happy to report that the Committee on Historic Designation has unanimously recommended approval of the Jewelers Row Historic District. The nomination is now scheduled for final consideration by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on Friday, March 13 th at 9am. Meetings are open to the public and take place at 1515 Arch St, Room 18-029.
 
We offer our thanks to Dr. David Brownlee, who provided expert testimony on our behalf and to all members of the public who spoke in favor of preserving Jewelers Row.

We must also express our appreciation to the property owners of Sansom and 8 th  Streets. Although our perspectives may differ, we pledge our respect to these differences, particularly where the jewelers, retailers, and craftspeople who call Jewelers Row "home" are concerned.
Jewelers Row: view of the south side of the 700 block of Sansom, facing southeast-- photo via Ryan Collerd, 2016
Paul Steinke Pens Op-Ed on Endangered Historic Jazz Sites
In an op-ed piece published over the weekend by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Preservation Alliance Executive Director Paul Steinke made the case for more locations to be protected as pieces of Philly's jazz history.

"Earlier this year,  the John Coltrane House in Strawberry Mansion was placed on Preservation Pennsylvania’s 2020 roster of “at risk” sites  -- and it’s not the only piece of Philly’s jazz history that is in danger of disappearing."

The Sun Ra Arkestra, known for wild improvisation and experimentation, called Germantown home -- photo via Sun Ra
Of Interest
Preservation Zoning Reform: Alliance Breakfast Seminar
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8:30 - 10:30 AM
Thursday, February 27
The Bellevue, 7th Floor
This year, new zoning regulations favorable to the adaptive re-use of historic buildings go into effect in Philadelphia.

Join the Alliance on February 27 for a special panel discussion on these changes. The panel should be of particular interest to owners/developers of historic properties, civic association leaders, preservation professionals, and anyone with a general interest in the historic built environment.

A continental breakfast will be provided.
Building Philadelphia Speaker Series
Individual Tickets on Sale Now
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Mondays & Wednesdays
March 2 - April 1, 2020
Individual tickets are on sale for Building Philadelphia: Architecture, History, and Politics. This built environment history series is delivered by renowned architects, authors, urban planners, curators, and historians inside the National Park Service Theater on Independence Mall.

The series opens with William Penn biographer Andrew R. Murphy. His new book has been called the most important work on the colonial Quaker in fifty years, and Dr. Murphy’s talk, William Penn and the Founding of the City, offers new insights into Penn’s tenure as Philadelphia’s first city planner. 

The series continues with ambitious urban planning undertakings such as the history of Fairmount Park, Society Hill renewal and the creation of Independence National Historic Park. Other topics include the region’s superior collection of architectural styles or the city’s industrial heyday. 

Individual Tickets -- $20 in advance; $15 for Alliance Members

The Society Hill Towers (I.M. Pei) under construction in September, 1963-- photo via George McDowell Bulletin Photographs, Special Collections Research Center, Temple
Staff at the Free Library hang the art pieces inside the Free Library on the Parkway-- photo by Jessica Griffen
Calder Banners Return
Lost! Found! Lost again! The Calder Banners are back again!

Two of the eight bicentennial banners created by Alexander Calder -- the Lawnton, PA artist known for the painted sheet metal works Marcel Duchamp christened "mobiles" -- have been found, carefully cleaned and conserved, and put BACK on display at the Free Library.

Christ Church Soars to New Heights in National Trust Article
Philadelphia's famous Christ Church and its dangerously listing steeple are the subjects of an excellent article from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The view from the scaffolding around Christ Church-- photo by Samuel Markey
New lighting features light up Laurel Hill Cemetery-- photo by Emma Lee, WHYY
New Lights Above Kelly Drive Bring Laurel Hill's Mausoleums to Motorists Below
The first phase of three architectural lighting additions has been completed at Laurel Hill Cemetery, the national historic landmark cemetery which overlooks Kelly Drive.

SAVE THE DATE! March 31, 6:00 PM

Designation Celebration at Oaks Cloister
Come and help us celebrate all the Philadelphia properties that received historic designation in 2019, including the Overbrook Farms Historic District, 30 th Street Station interior, and St. Francis de Sales Church. They also include our event venue for this evening, the Oaks Cloister in Northwest Philadelphia, which has just been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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