Advocacy Update: Two Additions to the Local Register, and a Notable Passing

Crystal Bird Fauset House

Photo Credits: PHC Staff

Last Friday, February 10, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved two nominations sponsored by the Preservation Alliance. As a result, the following were added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

Left: Crystal Bird Fauset at 5401-03 Vine Street on Election Day, November 1938. Source: John Mosely, Charles Blockson Collection, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Right: Boot N Saddle Sign

Photo Credits: PHC Staff

Crystal Bird Fauset House, 5401-03 Vine Street: A modest, three-story brick home in the Victorian Italianate style built in the 1870s in the Haddington section of West Philadelphia. Between 1933 and 1944 it was the home of Crystal Bird Fauset (1893-1965). In 1938 Ms. Fauset was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, becoming the first Black woman elected to a state legislature in the United States. She remained active in civil rights work for the rest of her life and was an outspoken and influential proponent for the independence of African nations. In 1991, a state historic marker was installed outside the house commemorating Ms. Fauset’s achievements.

The Boot and Saddle Sign, 1131 S. Broad Street: One of Philadelphia’s finest examples of a “Neon Extravaganza” sign, the Boot and Saddle sign was produced by Philadelphia-based Colonial Sign in the 1950s. This noteworthy example of Philadelphia commercial iconography has been designated a historic object, the first sign in the city to be so designated. It joins a select list of fewer than two dozen historically designated objects including fountains, horse troughs, paintings and the Wanamaker Eagle. The sign was restored by Urban Neon and Len Davidson in 2015-16 and now presides over the recently opened “Solar Myth,” a café, bar and performance venue for Ars Nova, a Philadelphia non-profit organization that promotes the appreciation of jazz and contemporary music.

Robert J. Geddes, Architect, Urbanist and Educator, 1923-2023

We mourn the passing of Robert J. Geddes, founder of the influential Philadelphia architectural firm of Geddes, Brecher, Qualls and Cunningham. He also served as Dean of the Princeton University School of Architecture. He died peacefully on the morning of February 13 at home in Princeton. Among his many commissions in Philadelphia are the former Police Administration Building, Northeast Regional Library, the Ritz Five movie theater and several buildings on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. His New York Times obituary is here. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/13/arts/design/robert-geddes-dead.html

Finally, Two Upcoming Events: The Preservation Alliance is co-sponsoring two events in the coming weeks: first, a panel discussion on the C-PACE program, which is a financing tool for building sustainability improvements (February 22), and a Mayoral forum on built environment issues (March 14). Details and a registration link can be found below. Please join us!