Explore the architectural and social evolution of Central Germantown, tracing its journey from its founding by Daniel Pastorious, into a fashionable Victorian railroad suburb and a bustling 20th-century commercial hub. Stop by landmarks such as Grumblethorpe, The Germantown Boys & Girls Club, Germantown Friends School, and more. The tour concludes by celebrating Germantown’s modern identity
Archives: Walking Tours
Philly’s Historical Social Clubs Unveiled
Welcome to Philly’s Historic Social Clubs Unveiled, a look behind the unmarked doors and stately facades of the city’s private clubs, many of which are rarely open to the public. On this self-guided, open-house tour, you will see how six institutions have navigated the challenges of the modern era, preserving some of the city’s most
Mt Holly Lyceum and Neighborhood Walking Tour
Step inside the Langstaff Mansion, a premier example of Greek Revival architecture built in 1830. Once the private residence of Harriet and James Langstaff, this stately home now serves as the Burlington County Lyceum, continuing a tradition of community learning and cultural exchange that dates back to 1860. Beyond the Lyceum, walk through Mount Holly’s
Wayne Junction
The Wayne Junction Historic District, bordering lower Germantown and upper Nicetown, was once a bustling Philadelphia industrial center known as “Workshop of the World.” In the later decades of the 1900s, Wayne Junction experienced disinvestment and decline as manufacturing moved elsewhere, leaving many of the buildings vacant and deteriorated. Join real estate developer Ken Weinstein for a tour of the historic Wayne Junction area to
FDR Park and the 1926 Sesqui-Centennial
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) Park, was designed in 1914 by the Olmsted Brothers landscape firm. This park was considered a remarkable work of land reclamation in its day with marshy land filled and imaginatively graded with curving roads, walks, lakes in the highest tradition of the romantic park design characteristic of the period. FDR park was used
Washington Crossing Historic Park
Experience the turning point of the American Revolution on our Washington Crossing Historic Park tour, where this 500 acre Historic Park tells the story of General George Washington’s pivotal 1776 crossing. The tour will start with a 15 minute introductory film on the history of the crossing, followed by a walking tour along the river.
First Prayer at Carpenters’ Hall
Sunday, September 7, 2025 will be the 251st anniversary of a remarkable event at Carpenters’ Hall: the opening prayer for the First Continental Congress. That Congress was a seminal moment in the uniting of the often fractious colonies in figuring out how they might free themselves from imperial tyranny. But the prayer was given in
Daytrip to the Raymond Farm Center + Nakashima Woodworkers
In honor of this year Preservation Achievement Award to the Nakashima Foundation for Peace for their documentation of the Nakashima family home, the Preservation Alliance is excited to arrange a joint tour with the Raymond Farm Center and Nakashima Woodworkers in New Hope to share the incredible stories of architect and designers Antonin & Noémi
Wharton Esherick Museum
Visit the Wharton Esherick Museum, home and studio of American artist, sculptor, and woodworker Wharton Esherick, honored at the 2025 Preservation Achievement Awards for WEM’s colorful silo restoration. Esherick considered his Studio an autobiography in three dimensions. The final addition to the Studio was the Silo, a cylindrical form reminiscent of the grain silos that dotted
Garden Court
Join Preservation Alliance Executive Director Paul Steinke for a walking tour of his former neighborhood, Garden Court. The brainchild of developer Clarence Siegel, Garden Court took shape in the 1920s, occupying in a tiny sliver of undeveloped land in the midst of West Philadelphia’s older streetcar suburbs. A planned community of detached, semi-detached and row
