Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month

May is National Historic Preservation Month. To celebrate, the Preservation Alliance asked 31 historic preservation leaders in Philadelphia to name a building that has inspired them and why. We invite you to watch this space daily and hear from leaders in the local preservation movement as they reveal the historic buildings that have inspired them.

Sam Pickard Belfield 2100 West Clarkson Avenue, Philadelphia

Belfield, the country estate of painter and naturalist Charles Willson Peale, consists of outbuildings of a variety of ages surrounding a late-18th century farmhouse which was listed as a National Historic Landmark in the mid-1960s. I discovered Belfield while an undergraduate at La Salle University, which presently owns the property, and quickly grew to love the unkempt gardens and idiosyncratic outbuildings. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, my friend and I discovered and explored a stone drainage sewer, which had been exposed when a portion of its ceiling had collapsed. Further investigation revealed that the sewer tunnel was possibly part of a drainage system originally built by Peale. Later developmental pressure on the property by the university led an unsuccessful attempt by my friend and me to form a student group to promote Belfield’s continued preservation and a potential archaeological survey of the sewer.

While my Belfield-related activity quickly trailed off after I graduated La Salle, my experiences in undergrad taught me how much effort can be needed to preserve a resource, even one with National Historic Landmark status. I also learned the importance of proper archaeology to expanding knowledge of little known features of a historic site and the need to revisit and question old research. I try to apply this outlook daily during my work in the cultural resource management field, as well as with the advocacy efforts of the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance.

Sam Pickard Co-Chair, Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance

NEW VIRTUAL LECTURES Watch from the safety and comfort of your own home!

Thank you to our sponsor

Tuesday, May 12, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Boathouse Row: Untold Stories of a Philadelphia Icon Presented by Dotty Brown Digging into 150 years of archives for her book, Boathouse Row, Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing , Dotty Brown, a former editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, discovered quirky and fascinating stories behind the façade of these 19 th century houses. She will reveal some of them, including: how one of Philadelphia’s best known architects came to build on Boathouse Row; its ties with two of the city’s 19 th century firehouses; why Thomas Eakins’ early work focused on rowers; and the battle women fought for a house of their own in the all-male venue. Dotty blogs about the Row and its history on her website: www.BoathouseRowTheBook.com

More Information and Tickets

Tuesday, May 19, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Art Deco in Philadelphia Presented by Dr. David Brownlee ,  Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art,  University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia contributed an exhilarating chapter to the history of "Art Deco," the colorful, invented modern style that offered an exciting alternative to the austere functionalism in the 1920s and 30s. The quintessential style of the Jazz Age, Art Deco brought brilliant color to the decoration of the Art Museum, introduced exotic motifs (including Mayan and Spanish Colonial) to the city's new skyscrapers, and contributed zig-zagging ornament to our radio stations and "automat" restaurants. It was also one of the components of the brilliant stylistic synthesis created by George Howe and William Lescaze in the era's greatest landmark, the PSFS Building.

More Information and Tickets

Please Support The Preservation Alliance