Rethinking Philly's Historic Districts

FITLER SQUARE

By David S. Traub

In the effort to save the historic fabric of Philadelphia, there are a range of tools available to preservationists. Among these are historic designation of individual properties, façade easements, special incentives including tax credits, adding staff to the Historic Commission, a city-wide survey of historic sites, and the recently proposed demolition review policy.  There is no one answer to the complex problem of ongoing demolition of old and historic buildings and all the tools listed are essential.

 It would seem, however, that the most effective  tool is the enactment of Historic Districts which protect entire neighborhoods, or smaller stretches of buildings such as the one currently being considered for six blocks of Christian Street west of Broad in South Philadelphia.  Instead of the slow moving, pain-staking process of designating buildings one by one, here is method that protects scores or hundreds of building with one sweep

   I am reminded of the value of historic districts by an event in the Rittenhouse-Filter Historic District where I live.  Recently, a TV series was filmed in the enclave around Fitler Square.  Why were the film crews there?   Simply because the old, picturesque district provides the kind of suggestive backdrop that movie makers often want. 

SAVE OUR SITES

SOS Sets Lecture


Donovan Rypkema, Monday, January 30, 2012, 8:00 pm, The Ethical Society of Philadelphia, 1906 South Rittenhouse Square


Donovan D. Rypkema is principal of PlaceEconomics, a Washington-based real estate and economic development consulting firm that specializes in services to public and non-profit sector clients who are dealing with downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization and the reuse of historic structures. Rypkema has worked with communities in 49 states and 40 countries. He holds a Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania where he received the 2008 G. Holmes Perkins Award for Distinguished Teaching. The title of Rypkema’s lecture is 'The Economics of Historic Preservation, Home and Abroad.'


The Junto depends exclusively on reader support. Please help us continue by contributing directly via PayPal, or by contributing editorial content via Writers.Clearinghouse@comcast.net. Empowered by Writers Clearinghouse | S.P.Q.R. 1976 Richard Carreño, Editor

Save Our Sites

2011 List of Endangered Sites

[Special to Writers Clearinghouse News Service]

The Philadelphia preservation organization Save Our Sites (SOS) has issued its 2011 list of endangered sites that its members nominated at its Spring General Membership meeting on March 29, 2011. Save Our Sites defines endangered buildings as those that are neglected, unmaintained, vacant, unknown or uncelebrated. They may not necessarily be subject to imminent demolition. They might be worth recognizing because of either their architectural, aesthetic or historic value. The 2011 list includes twenty sites throughout different neighborhoods of Philadelphia such as Francisville, West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, East Oak Lane, Germantown, and Center City.

Unfortunately, just before the announcement of the 2011 Endangered Sites List, the Monastery of St. Clare, formerly number one on the list, was demolished. Although the convent, located at the corner of West Girard and Corinthian Avenues in Francisville, was listed on the Girard National Register Historic District, it was not on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, therefore it was not protected against demolition. The Romanesque, stone chapel of St. Clare was designed in 1919 by the architectural firm Ballinger and Perot. It is flanked by two late-nineteenth century brownstones that housed cloistered nuns from 1918 until May 21, 1977, when they relocated to Langhorne.

Credits for Preparation of Following List:

Alanna C. Stewart, M.S. Historic Preservation, University of Pennsylvania

Zoe Draper, B.A., Moore College of Art & Design

David S. Traub, AIA, Co-Founder, Save Our Sites

Save Our Sites, 2005 Cambridge Street. Philadelphia, PA 19130

(215) 232-2344

FRANCISVILLE

1. Northwestern National Bank – 1828 W. Girard Avenue (W. Girard and Ridge Avenues)

The Northwestern National Bank was designed in 1886 by Philadelphia architect, Otto Wolf. Wolf served as the vice president of the bank, as well as specializing in the design of breweries (one of his clients being Christian Schmidt). The bank is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, and is currently being used as the Smith Baptist Chapel. The building is in poor condition, mutilated by placement of glass block in existing windows.

2. U.S. Post Office - 900 N. 19th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130 (N. 19^th and Poplar Streets)

The United States Post Office was designed in 1936 by architect Victor D. Abel, during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a part of his Works Progress Administration, WPA. Abel was joined by supervising architect Louis A. Simon, and Neal A. Melick, supervising engineer. Some alterations have been made, but the Federal government has neglected the building, and it is in need of an overall renovation.

The PNC Bank: 700 - 702 N. Broad Street (N. Broad Street and Ridge Avenue)

3. The PNC Bank, pictured at left, formerly the Northwestern National Bank, was designed by Philip Merz in 1917, of the New York firm, McKim, Mead & White. In 1929, additions were made by Clarence Edmond Wunder. Though it is currently a PNC bank, it is minimally maintained. This grand building is in a key location at this important intersection, which includes the Divine Loraine Hotel. The full restoration of this building could spark further restorations of this North Philadelphia neighborhood.

NORTH PHILADELPHIA

4. The Macedonia Free Will Baptist Church: 2036-2040 Cecil B. Moore Avenue (21^st and Cecil B. Moore Avenue).

The Macedonia Free Will Baptist Church, previously known as Columbia Avenue Presbyterian Church, was built between 1891 and 1893 by architect J.W. Shaw. The chapel was constructed in 1870 by architect Henry Sims. The Romanesque style building contains stained-glass windows that were manufactured by Tiffany Studios. The church is in a serious state of disrepair, as the group who rents the property does not maintain it. Like many other churches in North Philadelphia, it is not receiving the attention it deserves.

5. Reformed Episcopal Church: 2229 N. 29^th Street (29^th and Fletcher)

The Reformed Episcopal Church was built in 1916. It was designed by architects Stackhouse and Street and was built by the Raymond A. Raff Company. It is currently known as Dauphin Street Baptist Church. This building is extremely unique, with fascinating architectural details such as the immense stone fanlight on the front façade. It has been altered with doors of an inappropriate style, and boarded up windows. It is located in a struggling area of North Philadelphia, and faces serious neglect.

WEST PHILADELPHIA

6. House at 3619 Baring Street

The Victorian stone house at 3619 was built around 1874 for William C. Eliason. In 1905, a colonial revival porch was built, and a garage was added to the residence during the 1920s. This was also the residence of the Tetlows, the first producers of Talcum Powder. The house was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in March of 1963. Although this building is in a serious state of disrepair, complete restoration would serve as a building block for more renovations in this deteriorating neighborhood.

7. Woodland Mansion: 4000 Woodland Avenue

Woodland Mansion was built in 1770, although the land was first purchased in 1735 by Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton. The house was rebuilt into a neoclassical style mansion between 1786 and 1792 by Hamilton’s grandson, William. In 1840, the landscape was transformed into a cemetery. Though this building is not completely under preservationists’ radar screen, it deserves more public awareness, and increased funding to completely restore this historic monument.

8. The Belmont Academy Charter School: 907 N. 41^st Street (N. 41^st Street and Westminster Avenue.)

The Belmont Academy Charter School opened in 1998 in the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Its first use was as a dormitory and recreation center for train conductors traveling through the area, and then later used as a church. Although the school has great architectural details, the basement is condemned. The building should be recognized for its historic fabric and context.

9.West Philadelphia Title and Trust Building: 4000 Lancaster Avenue (N. 40^th Street and Lancaster Avenue)

The West Philadelphia Title and Trust Co. was designed in 1897 by Walter Smedley. The brick and terra cotta building is not listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Although the massive billboards were removed from the façade of this historic landmark, it is in an extremely dilapidated state, with several convenient stores crammed inside of it. This building is in a key location that should be used as a rallying point to spark preservation further west on Lancaster Avenue.

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA

10. Girard Farm House at Girard Estates (Near 22^nd and Ritner Streets)

Stephen Girard purchased a small farmhouse located on 500 acres in Passyunk Township in South Philadelphia in 1797. He created additions to the building in 1800 and 1825. Although he never lived in the house, he worked on the farm daily, growing fruits and vegetables, and housing livestock. Girard left his estate to the city of Philadelphia, and the money was to be used to start Girard College, a school for orphan boys. The building is still maintained by the city of Philadelphia on a very small budget. However, with greater public interest, this historic site could be brought to its full potential as an important Philadelphia landmark.

11. St. Matthew Baptist Church: 2319-2321 Fitzwater Street (Grays Ferry Avenue and Fitzwater Street)

St. Matthew’s Baptist Church, formerly St. Anthony De Padua Catholic Church, was designed in 1892 by architect Frank Watson. The Romanesque, granite church contains at least thirty stained-glass windows and a striking tall campanile gracing the corner of Grays Ferry and Fitzwater. The owners of the church have put the building up for sale. Given its location in a rapidly redeveloping neighborhood, and in particular being across from the very successful Toll Brothers Naval Home development, it is vulnerable to being purchased by developers who might want to demolish it to make room for new townhouses.

12. Vare Elementary School: 1621 East Moyamensing Avenue (Morris Street and E. Moyamensing Avenue)

Abigail Vare Elementary School is a stone, vaguely colonial revival building. It was designed between 1903 and 1904 by James Gaw, who later added to the school in 1927. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1986. This building stands as a model for what school buildings in Philadelphia were at the turn of the century. It is in fairly good condition, but mechanical systems are in need of repair, necessitating it receiving heat from a building across the street.

EAST OAK LANE

13. Harry Asbury House: 970 W. Cheltenham Avenue (70^th and W. Cheltenham Avenues)

The Harry Asbury House was designed by Amos J. Boyden in 1892. T. Henry Asbury had this colonial revival house built for his son, Harry. It was formerly one of the King’s View houses, and is now owned by a Korean Church. It is in extremely poor condition. The historic context should be recognized, and full restoration is in order to maintain the value of this historic neighborhood.

Oak Lane Reform Church : W. 66^th Avenue and N. 7^th Street, 19126

14. The Oak Lane Reform Church complex has one remaining building, a Gothic style sanctuary that was designed in 1905 by architect Valentine B. Lee. It is made of salvaged stone from the Fifth Street Reservoir. The church later became the Oak Lane United Church of Christ, which closed in 1984. Although the 1905 addition remains, the earlier structure was demolished, and the building is now neglected and in extremely poor condition.

GERMANTOWN

15. Caroline Elizabeth Cope Farmer’s Cottage at Awbury Arboretum

The Caroline Elizabeth Cope Farmer’s Cottage, built in 1793, is one of twenty-four buildings at Awbury Arboretum. In the 1920s, the cottage was deeded to the City, who in turn sold the buildings to New Covenant Church. The Awbury Arboretum is now in a battle to buy back the building, since it is currently neglected and in very poor condition. There is an old Spring House in the back, which has also been neglected. These structures are in deteriorating condition, and located in a context in which otherwise the houses are well maintained.

16. Industrial Buildings at Wayne Junction

Wayne Junction constitutes an ensemble of various 19^th century buildings gathered around the train station designed by famed Frank Furness, and serves as an important transportation node in Germantown. The group of buildings, mostly in deteriorated condition, has great potential for being turned into residential structures, given their close proximity to public transportation amenities. Among the buildings is the Wayne Junction Trust Company, at 4405 Germantown Avenue, designed by Thomas B. Lippincott.

CENTER CITY/WASHINGTON SQUARE WEST

17. 2023-2025 Rittenhouse Square Street (South 20^th and Rittenhouse Square Streets)

This charming building was a former stable, now used as a car garage. The architect, if any, is unknown. It was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places on January 6, 1972. Note the relief sculpture of a horse’s head under the blind arch at the top center of the building. The stable is in deplorable condition, with spalling terra cotta, loose brick and broken windows.

East End of Irving Street (Washington Square West)

18. The east extension of Irving Street comes to a dead end between 11^th and 12^th streets. When the Philadelphia City Plan was created in the 19^th century, this section of the street was not included. The adjacent neighbors have attempted to privatize it, which Save Our Sites opposes. Privatizing this little piece of street will make it more difficult for the public to use and enjoy.

19. Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore (PWB) Railroad (S. 15^th and Carpenter Streets)

The Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore (PWB) Railroad buildings were constructed during the Civil War Era. The station, along with an adjacent hospital, made the intersection of Broad and Washington a major military transport center during the Civil War. The head house was demolished, but the remaining service building pictured here faces possible demolition by neglect. The building needs to be recognized for its potential for furthering development at this important intersection, as well as a landmark commemorating the Civil War.

FAIRMOUNT PARK

20. Hermitage Mansion: 700 Hermit Lane (Fairmount Park)

Hermitage Mansion is located in the Wissahickon area of Fairmount Park. The Rosicrucians, or Hermits, emigrated from Germany in 1694 and were given 175 acres in Wissahickon Valley. After their leader Kelpius died few people remained, including Righter family. The Righters sold the property to Evan Prowattain in 1848, who built the mansion that still exists today. Currently, the Delaware Valley Opera Company is using the mansion, while maintaining the land and the house. The Opera Company continually attempts to raise money, but there is still a lack of funding needed to make repairs to this historic mansion.

The Junto depends exclusively on reader support. Please help us continue by contributing directly via PayPal, or by contributing editorial content via Writers.Clearinghouse@comcast.net. Empowered by Writers Clearinghouse | S.P.Q.R. 1976

Philadelphia's Lost Waterfront

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge under

 construction over the Delaware River.

 

 But Not Forgotten

By Harry Kyriakodis

[Special to Writers Clearinghouse News Service]

(The following are excerpts from a new book, Philadelphia's Lost Waterfront, published by The History Press).

MIDWAY on Front Street, between Philadelphia's Old City and Northern Liberties neighborhoods, is a set of ancient stone steps leading down to Water Street. This narrow stairwell, on the 300 block of North Front, is a passageway to the lower street on the line of what used to be an alley called Wood Street. The Wood Street Steps are also a passageway back in time, for they are the last of ten or so public stairways on the alley streets from Callowhill to South Streets, built about three centuries ago at the direction of William Penn, founder and proprietor of the province of Pennsylvania and founder of the city of Philadelphia.

Each one of the "Penn stairs" once lay exactly on the Delaware River's western embankment, providing access to the water from the high ground of the city above. Other than Gloria Dei Church in South Philadelphia, this staircase is the only relic of the colonial era along the Delaware in Penn's City of Brotherly Love.

This account began as an investigation into these stairwells. It then broadened into a chronicle of Philadelphia's riverfront between Vine and South Streets-the city's original northern and southern boundaries. It then expanded north to Spring Garden Street and south to Washington Avenue, basically to round out the story. While the book focuses on the two-block strip of the waterfront from Front Street to the river, there are occasional forays inland to Second Street. This study includes an exploration of the caves that Quaker settlers occupied beside the Delaware and the stories behind Front Street, Water Street and Delaware Avenue. Old City, Society Hill and Queen Village are discussed, as are the famous personalities associated with Philadelphia's riverside and the notable creeks that once crossed this zone. Shipbuilding, railroading and military activities on this stretch of the Delaware are considered, as are immigration and employment matters. Plus, extant and long-forgotten taverns, restaurants, hotels, parks, piers and places of worship are covered.

After a look at the early development of Philadelphia's original port district, the narrative proceeds block by block from Spring Garden Street to Washington Avenue. Why north to south? It just seemed better to begin with the area that still has the most remnants of the past so that some tangible evidence of Philadelphia's lost waterfront could be seen. Seeing the little that remains emphasizes how much is gone. For, ultimately, this book is a lament on all that has vanished due to the heartless routing of Interstate 95 through this two-mile-long corridor decades ago.

Contemporary happenings along the historic central waterfront of Philadelphia are highlighted in the final chapters as the narrative returns to Columbus Boulevard and Penn's Landing. It will become clear that recent conflicts concerning the use and enjoyment of the riverfront are as fresh today as they were over three hundred years ago.

GREAT cities have great rivers, and the city of Philadelphia has two of the finest and most historic rivers in the United States: the Delaware and the Schuylkill. Both have played critical roles in the American Revolution of the eighteenth century, the Industrial and Transportation Revolutions of the nineteenth century, and even the Environmental Revolution of the twentieth century. In the early 1680s, William Penn (1644-1718) specifically established his City of Brotherly Love at the narrowest point between these waterways to take advantage of the benefits afforded by them. In a letter to London, he gushed: "[O]f all the many places I have seen in the world, I remember not one better seated; so that it seems to me to have been appointed for a town, whether we regard the rivers, or the convenience of the coves, docks, springs, the loftiness and soundness of the land and the air."

Penn envisioned his colony of Pennsylvania sprawling westward from the river settlement of Philadelphia, which would serve as the colony's seat of government and base of mercantile activity. Philadelphia's geography made it ideal as an inland seaport, and Penn's settlement responded to maritime opportunities quickly. The city became the first major shipping port in North America, so much so that a visitor in 1756 commented, "Everybody in Philadelphia deals more or less in trade." By the onset of the War for Independence, Penn's town was third only to Liverpool and London as an essential business location.

The Delaware River waterfront was the axis of the Port of Philadelphia's maritime, commercial and political bustle for some two hundred years after the city's founding. For a long time, when people outside Philadelphia thought about the city, this lively place was what came to mind -- and not in a bad way. This was where wheeling and dealing went on to encourage local, regional and national enterprise. This was where a good amount of the nation's military forces got their start. This was where transportation advances and other inventions were created and exhibited. This was where terrible urban contagions began. This was where early American capitalists made their fortunes. And this was where the individual American colonies were crafted into a nation.

Philadelphia kept its position as America's greatest trade center until the 1820s, when New York's location and financial strength bumped Penn's City to second place. Still, the city's riverfront remained the heart of town. But as the river district grew increasingly grim and grimy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it started to be taken for granted and then became an afterthought. This change in regard was fostered by Philadelphia's relentless push to the west, first to the deforested area beyond Sixth Street in the 1700s, then to the City Hall neighborhood in the 1800s and then to points west, north and south in the 1900s.

As wealthy residents and merchants left the original part of Philadelphia for greener pastures, the Delaware River's edge became forlorn and unattractive-a forgotten backwater, so to speak, and certainly nothing to celebrate. The river itself practically died before World War II because of pollution, while commerce on and by the water declined dramatically afterward. The mile-wide Delaware, long the city's front door, had shut. An Interstate highway was then run through to seal the deal.

Happily, though, Philadelphia's central waterfront has been receiving attention lately. Exactly three hundred years after William Penn founded his city on the Delaware, work began on refurbishing two abandoned municipal piers at Penn's Landing for residential use. This was the first new housing along the river in over one hundred years. Other activity has followed since then, with multimillion-dollar condominiums and increased recreational, entertainment and dining venues of all sorts drawing money and movement back to this part of town. Penn's Landing has become a citywide gathering place, and even a casino has joined the mix. Philadelphia has finally rediscovered its lifeblood river and the adjoining riverfront.

All told, this is surely the most storied and interesting section of Philadelphia, as it has changed the most -- for good or bad -- over time. A strong case can be made that it has changed more than anyplace in America.

NEEDLESS to say, the eight-hundred-pound gorilla in the room is Interstate 95. The highway creates an immense physical barrier that separates walkers, bikers and even motorists-not to mention entire communities-from the river throughout Philadelphia. The I-95 divide is psychological in places, so urban planners hope that landscaping and other improvements will help alleviate the problem and get people to cross the highway to the Delaware. But there's no disguising or denying that I-95 brutally severs the waterfront of Philadelphia from the rest of the city, especially Center City, and it makes Penn's Landing underwhelming as a space for recreation.

Yet this is merely the outcome of a much larger, more poignant issue. Simply put: the worst part of an Interstate being built through Southwark, Society Hill and Old City Philadelphia in the 1960s and '70s is that the physical record of almost three hundred years of Philadelphia history was thoughtlessly obliterated. The memory of countless Philadelphians living, working, eating, drinking, shopping, visiting and even dying on the Delaware's west bank during this time has been lost and forgotten. It should also be noted, as a final wistful comment, that the superhighway covers the spot where William Penn, the great lawgiver, humanist and real estate developer, first set foot on Philadelphia soil.

And for what purpose? Just to allow anonymous motorists from parts unknown to pass through Philadelphia in the blink of an eye? This utter lack of respect for Philadelphia's past would be unthinkable if the artery were constructed today. Other options would definitely be explored besides routing a noisy fifteen-lane expressway through such an important (yet admittedly shabby) part of Penn's City. Even the possible submersion or demolition of the highway, proposed as of late, could never restore what is gone forever.

Ultimately, though, this has been an account of how the city of Philadelphia has related to its principal river over time. The story is one of ongoing conflict between various uses of the Delaware and the city's original waterfront, ranging from commercial to transportational to residential to recreational. It began playing out in the late seventeenth century during the time of William Penn and Samuel Carpenter. Later, Stephen Girard and Paul Beck contributed greatly to how the story played out. These and other noteworthy men and women molded the riverbank over time and were intimately involved in what happened along this two-mile-long strip of land.

The continuing saga of the Delaware River's western embankment is more relevant in the twenty-first century than ever as the City of Brotherly Love finally rediscovers and reclaims its historic waterfront.

SOS Preservation Tour



Part of the SOS walking tour




Early 19th
century cobblestones




David Traub, SOS facilator,
 welcomes the group
 (Photos: Richard Carreno
/Writers Clearinghouse)

 Walking into the Past

A warren of 'small' streets In Washington Square West became a setting for a fast rewind in time for a few hours this week as 21st century urban Philadelphia, highlighted by the hubhub of nearby Locust Street, receded into a 200-year-old labyrinth of twisted alleys and hidden walks from the early 19th century. It was an-only-in-Philly moment, enhanced by the city's uniquely pristine housing stock from long ago. For about 30 members and friends of Save Our Sites (SOS), who meandered through the nearly 10-street area Sunday, all that was missing was an official 'All aboard!,' inviting the group to step into the time capsule afternoon tour.

'I've walked these streets many times before,' said one SOS member on the Sunday tour. 'But this is the first time I've seen the true history of these buildings.'


For SOS, however, one concern had a particularly modern twist. The group is concerned that a 'stub' of one street might be rezoned for private use.

Also highlighting the tour, principally around 11th Street, was a visit to the visit to the Mask and Wig club, a private theatrical group made up of students from the University of Pennsylvania.
-- Writers Clearinghouse News Service, edited by Justin Carreno

The Philadelphia Junto depends exclusively on reader support. Please help us continue by contributing directly via PayPal, or by contributing editorial content via Writers.Clearinghouse@comcast.net. Empowered by Writers Clearinghouse | S.P.Q.R. 1976

Save Our Sites

Preservation Group
Schedules June Tour

Save Our Sites (SOS) will hold a walking tour of Washington Square West Sunday, 26 June, starting at 5:30 pm. See posted flyer for details.

On Presidents' Day,

President's House Gets No Respect

By Thom Nickels
[Writers Clearinghouse News Service]
Not only does the newly-opened President's House at 5th and Market streets resemble a half-constructed modular home, but this skeptical tribute to Washington and Jefferson also might double as Septa subway stop. The structure's minimalist frame pretends to take smart cues from the nearby Robert Venturi-designed Franklin House, also off Market Street. But it's really a disaster on all fronts. The $10.5-million design tragedy, which incited an eight-year ideological war between the National Park Service and various black community organizations, could have been a success if political squabbling had taken a back seat to architecture.

This Kelly/Maiello Architects & Planners structure should be laid bare. Another firm, like Robert A.M. Stern, should be brought in to redo the project. Stern, the recent recipient of the 201 Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture, could be at least be counted on to deliver a substitute building that would give Philadephia a 'real' President's House. (Stern is known locally, most recently, for its design of No. 10 Rittenhouse Square).

The present 'house,' with its nine open-air slave reenactment videos and its grade school-like 'teaching' storyboards fastened on brick and granite walls, is an intellectual embarrasment. Visitors get quick Reader's Digest-styled sound bites about the lives of 'presidential' slaves.

Call it the President Slaves House. But mixing oil and water like this comes close to false advertizing. As it is, the only 'President' we get is down under, in a glass-enclosed archeological dig showcasing the foundations of the original house, built sometime between 1790 and 1800. The house was razed in 1833.

While the framed dig works very well as a centerpiece, everything else on the ground floor -- the representational door, window, and fireplace -- points to a curious flip-flop as the slave narrative dominates and 'enslaves' the story of the presidents. Or, shall we say the 'evil oppressors' in the archeological hole.

It's not that the story of slavery in Philadelphia shouldn't be told. Tell it by all means, but don't superimpose it onto another story. The design message of the President's House seems nothing but a critique of 19th-century slavery by 'enlightened' 21st-century standards. As a result, the visitor leaves knowing nothing about the important people who lived in the house, including Benedict Arnold and Robert Morris.

If the mission of the architects was to cast aspersions on the presidents who the house is suppose to honor, they then succeeded in equating the guys in wigs with rabid racists. This message is delivered with overblown evangelical zeal. The 'instructive' billboards hammer visitors, blow by blow. The most egregious, 'The Dirty Business of Slavery,' wins the Capt. Obvious Award. All that's missing a third-grade teacher with a ruler in hand making sure that each visitor is really, really paying attention.

Wrecking Ball Tolls?

SOS Cites Sites
Thompson Street site, right --->
Save Our Sites (SOS), a city preservation group, has issued its 2010 list of endangered buildings, streets, and other sites in Philadelphia that face destruction, neglect, or possible demolition.


The list cites 15 sites, locales, and streetscapes that SOS defines as having special architectural, historical, or aesthetic value, but otherwise are "poorly maintained, inappropriately used, vacant, largely unknown, or uncelebrated." Designated sites need not be threatened by imminent demolition, although, sometimes they are, according to SOS.

The sites, in no particular order, are:

* Arch at Penn’s Landing
The concrete arch at Penn’s landing was built as part of an aerial tram system that was never completed. The arch's location has significance in that it sits on the site where Pennsylvania was founded, and can be seen from I-95, the Delaware River, and from New Jersey. The arch and its immediate surroundings might be developed to commemorate the state's founding..

* Metropolitan Opera House, 858 North Broad Street
The Metropolitan Opera House, developed by impresario Oscar Hammerstein, was built in 1908 and designed by architect William H.McElfatrick .Currently the opera house is deteriorating and in need of restoration both on the exterior and interior.

* Family Court Building on Logan Square
The Beaux-Arts-styled Family Court Building on Logan Square was built in 1938-41 and designed by architect, John T. Windrim. Since the Family Court facility will be relocated, the city is seeking a private developer to put the building to a new use. Determining an appropriate new use is a matter of great concern to the community.

* Reading Viaduct
The Reading Viaduct begins at Vine Street, terminating at Fairmount Avenue. It is an ideal location for re-use such as an elevated, linear park similar to the High Line in Manhattan. This part of the city does not have adequate parks and recreational services.

* Eakins Oval, fronting the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The present use of the site as a surface parking lot is most unfortunate. Ideas for appropriate redevelopment of the site need to be generated.

* Commercial Building at Overbrook Train Station, 2135 North 63rd Street
The striking commercial building adjacent to the Overbrook Septa train station resembles in style some of architect Louis Sullivan’s smaller buildings in the Mid-west. Currently the building is in bad condition and needs restoration.

* Musical Arts Club on 1800 block of Ranstead Street, Center City
Designed by Architect Will Price of Price and McLenahan, this clubhouse for the defunct Musical Arts Club is a treasure tucked away on the alley-like 1800 block of Ranstead Street. Adorned with Mercer tiles, it begs for restoration.

* Northeast Manual Training School, 7th and Lehigh, Fairhill
The Northeast Manual Training school in North Philadelphia and was built in 1905 and designed by Architect J. Horace Cook. This massive, neo-Gothic-styled structure is the oldest manual training school. Currently the building is vacant, deteriorating and threatened by the prospect of demolition.

* 1200 69th Avenue, East Oak Lane
This eccentric Tudor Revival mansion on an expansive site was built circa 1895 and designed by architect, Horace W. Castor. It is presently unoccupied and is in a deteriorating condition, serving only to blight the immediate surrounding neighborhood.

* West Maplewood Mall , In Germantown near Chelten and Germantown avenues
Maplewood Mall is a quaint, vehicular free Victorian Street closed off and redeveloped in the 1970s. It was formerly lined with many viable shops and restaurants, but those that remain struggle. The city has sorely neglected the valuable site. Today, it is in much need of renovation.

* Letitia Street House, 3400 West Girard Ave; Hatfield House, 3201 West Girard Avenue
The Letitia Street house, owned the city was one of the earliest houses built in Philadelphia between 1703 and 1715. Although it was previously used as an office for the zoo, the house is now vacant and is deteriorating. The prominently located Hatfield House, also city owned, was built in 1760 as a farmhouse and renovated in the early 1800s with the addition of a Greek-Revival façade. The non-profit that occupies it has recently put a coat of paint on the exterior, but otherwise it is in dire need of restoration.

* 700 Block of Chestnut Street, including the Union Trust Co. and Quaker City National Bank buildings
The Union Trust Co and Quaker City National Bank in the 700 block of Chestnut Street were built in 1888 by architect Willis Hale and are among the many fine buildings that line both sides of this block. When more of these buildings are renovated, it will stand as one of the finest blocks in the city with great potential for attracting the best occupants.

* Church of the Assumption, 1100 Block of Spring Garden Street
The church was designed and built in 1848-49 in the Gothic-Revival style. Its architect was Patrick Charles Keely. The Philadelphia Historical Commission named it to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2009, but on September 10, 2010 the same commission approved demolition of it by its present owner, Siloam, a non-profit.

* SS United States, moored at South Columbus Boulevard
The SS United States was built in 1952 and used for trans-Atlantic service until 1969. It is currently docked in Philadelphia on the Delaware River. The ship was the fastest and largest passenger liner to be built in the United States. An organization is currently devoted to finding money to buy the liner and have it restored.

* Thompson Street Houses , 1821-1833 Thompson Street, 1619 Thompson Street
Thompson Street is one block north of Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia. The 1800 block houses display elaborate, multi-colored brick work and decorative, terra cotta insets .The eight houses are in dire need of restoration. No. 1619 Thompson Street appears to have been once an artist studio. It displays interesting brick patterns framed by exposed wood timbers. It is one of the most picturesque houses in central Philadelphia. It is also in need of repair.

(For more information about SOS or about these sites, telephone 215.232.2344, or 215.990.7832).