Complete PAGP
Events Calendar






Fill 'er Up! Vintage Gas Stations of Bucks County






Cliveden Conversations: A Public Forum about Enslavement, Race, and Memory in Philadelphia






Tulpehocken Station Historic District Tour





William Bartram: The Search for Nature's Design





Bucks County Barns





FREE Homeowner Workshops





Tour of Homes in the Old German Township

The Worlds of Thomas Jefferson at Laurel Hill Cemetery

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SEPTEMBER 2010

Your Support is Still Needed for Family Court Building
The City of Philadelphia is rushing to dispose of the historic Family Court building without adequate protections for its stunning interiors or significant Parkway setting. The Preservation Alliance has drafted a set of five principles for a better future for the building, and we need your support. Become a Friend of Family Court by endorsing these principles and adding your name to a list we will present to Mayor Nutter and City Council. Your voice counts! Click here to add your name. See John Gallery's commentary on the project in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.

Alliance Workshops Offer Free Help to Homeowners
The Alliance's Fall Homeowner Workshops start on September 21 and run twice a week through October 13. The series includes sessions on masonry and pointing, wood window repair and maintenance, and energy efficiency in older homes. The classes are free and open to the public, but advance registration is required by contacting melissa@preservationalliance or 215.546.1146.x 6. Click here for details and complete schedule.

A Sense of Place: Preserving Philadelphia's Neighborhoods

The schedule for the Alliance's October 8 Citywide Conference for Philadelphia Neighborhood Leaders is now available here. Sessions will include Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation; Local Historic Districts: What's In It for My Neighborhood? and Creative Use of Small Grants: Historic Preservation with a Small H and a Small P. The keynote speaker will be Barbara Aylesworth, Senior Program Manager of Healthy Neighborhoods in Baltimore. The conference will also feature the 2010 Neighborhood Preservation Project Grant Competition. Non-profit neighborhood organizations can win up to $1,500 to support a preservation-based project. Learn more and apply today!

Vital Neighborhoods Initiative Funds Rain Garden
Students at the John F. McCloskey Elementary School and the Dorothy Emanuel Recreation Center in Mount Airy helped celebrate the opening of their new Rain Garden. The project was funded through the Preservation Alliance's Vital Neighborhoods Initiative in conjunction with the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corp. (OARC), Philadelphia School District and Awbury Arboretum. The newly constructed Rain Garden uses native trees and flowering plants to absorb rain and stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces. Flooding on the playground has been a problem after heavy rains and the new Rain Garden will afford students an opportunity to learn about the environment while enhancing their play area. The Vital Neighborhoods Initiative is intended to bolster "middle-market" neighborhoods in Philadelphia, neighborhoods that already have strengths but could use investments that will help to attract new residents and enhance the residential market.

Preservation Alliance Blog Going Strong
The Alliance's new blog Field Notes has already passed the one thousand mark for number of page views and has garnered praise from the 2010 Best of Philly blog Brownstoner. Visit Field Notes regularly for news and observations on Philadelphia architecture and preservation, including regular features highlighting midcentury modernism, unprotected neighborhood landmarks, and special out-of-the-way places. Tune in for "Tube Tuesday" featuring a unique video look at Philadelphia every week!

Baptist Temple is a Preservation Success Story
Preservation Alliance members had a special opportunity to tour the Baptist Temple on August 17. After sitting empty for the last 30 years, the building recently reopened to the public following an extensive renovation. See photos and learn more about the Baptist Temple and its renovation from a member who was on this wonderful behind the scenes tour.

Go Up, Over and Underground on an Architectural Tour!
The cooler weather of fall should inspire you to get outside and get walking on an Alliance Architectural Walking Tour. Our award-winning tours continue through Oct. 31, every Saturday and Sunday, at 10am and 2pm. Upcoming tours include "Up and Over the Ben Franklin Bridge" and "Underground Philadelphia: Subways, Railways and Stations. " If you yearn to escape the city, take a tour of Merion or Phoenixville! Tickets are only $5 for Preservation Alliance members, $10 for the general public and $8 for students with ID. Reservations are not required, unless otherwise noted. Click here for the complete tour schedule.

State Preservation Awards Announced
Preservation Pennsylvania will present its 2010 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg on September 17. Philadelphia winners include Le Meridien Hotel, Germantown White House & Bringhurst House, the Music Building at Penn, the Academy of Music and the Mask & Wig Club. The F. Otto Haas Award will be given to John D. Milner, FAIA and Emanuel Kelly, FAIA will receive the PHMC Visionary in Historic Preservation Award. The Awards Ceremony is open to the public.

Visit us on Flickr!
The Alliance's Preserve Philadelphia campaign is now on Flickr, the popular photo website and online community. View our growing collection of user-submitted neighborhood landmarks and hidden gems, and add your own favorite Philadelphia buildings. Starting a Flickr account is fast, easy and free. Click here.



Follow Alliance events and architectural walking tours on Facebook. Join the Preservation Alliance group, and become a fan of the Philadelphia Architectural Walking Tour page and let us know what's on your mind!