Happy Hour, April 24

​Join the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance for a happy hour at Triple Bottom Brewing on Wednesday, April 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Members and non-members alike are invited!

We welcome anyone who is passionate about the built environment of the Philadelphia region to come out, meet others with a shared interest, and learn about YFPA’s mission. Please RSVP to inform our headcount for planning purposes.

Tour of Laran Bronze Foundry, May 11

Join the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance to tour the Laran Bronze Foundry on Saturday, May 11. Established in 1984, Laran Bronze is one of the world’s premier foundries for fine art casting.  It’s housed in the former Robert Wetherill & Co., which operated from 1872 to 1916. Wetherill manufactured Corliss Steam Engines, including the one featured at the 1876 Exposition in Fairmount Park.

Cliveden Work Day, May 18

Join the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance on Saturday, May 18, for an outdoor service day at Cliveden in Germantown.  Participants will help repair and paint an outbuilding on the historic property. No experience or tools are necessary, just enthusiasm! This promises to be a fun, hands-on opportunity to learn about Cliveden and help with the upkeep of a truly historic Philadelphia property

Church of the Advocate Tour, February 2024

On Saturday, February 24th the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance hosted a tour of the Church of the Advocate. The church in the Diamond Street Historic District is an architectural marvel as well as a beacon of social justice. The church became a pioneer in providing social services to its North Philadelphia community and an important center of civil rights activism.

In With the Old, November 2023

YFPA held the 2023 edition of In With The Old in the beautiful Duke & Duke Boardroom at 123 South Broad Street. The building, constructed in 1928 and known as the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company, was once the tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia. We celebrated historic preservation in the Philadelphia region with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and camaraderie with fellow preservationists.

Masonic Temple Tour, September 2023

YFPA got a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Masonic Temple on Saturday, September 23rd. After a sold-out event in February, we are returned to this National Landmark. The Norman-Romanesque-style Lodge was designed by James Windrim and completed in 1873. Inside the Lodge, visitors saw all seven of the sumptuously decorated, eclectic lodge rooms, originally designed by George Herzog and still in active use.

Northern Liberties Tour with the Office of Innovation and Technology, August 2023

On August 9th, YFPA joined a neighborhood walking tour of Northern Liberties led by steering committee member Alyssa Pizzi. The tour covered the history of Northern Liberties, highlighting the many old, new, and repurposed buildings in the area. Members from the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology joined us for the tour and a social hour at North Bowl afterwards.

St. James the Less Tour, July 2023

On Sunday, July 23, YFPA visited the Church of St. James-the-Less in Allegheny West. The church building was constructed between 1846-1850 as a faithful evocation of a Medieval English parish church. The property reflects the storied 177-year history of the church and its beautiful surrounding churchyard. But St. James-the-Less is also the story of the communities that have shaped, and been shaped by, this exceptional building.  The Church of St James-the-Less is now the heart of the St. James School (established 2011) serving the surrounding neighborhoods of North Philadelphia.

Tacony Tour, June 2023

Not even the I-95 bridge collapse stopped YFPA’s June 17 walking tour of Tacony, a historic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia with deep ties to saw-making and the industrialization of the country. Led by Amarynth Ruch of Tacony Community Development Corporation, participants visited several of the most significant properties in Henry Disston’s company town, including the site of one of the world’s first solar engines (the Frank Shuman house) and the Tacony Baptist “Grindstone Church,” which is partially constructed out of repurposed circular grindstones

Happy Hour with YFPA, APT Delaware Valley, and AIA Philadelphia’s Historic Preservation Committee, May 2023

Thanks to all those who joined us on Tuesday, May 23 for a drink or two at the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s pop-up bar at 1438 South Street. Happy hour meet-ups with APT and AIA Philadelphia are a great way for young preservationists to learn more about the many different kinds of preservation work taking place throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. We hope to organize another joint happy hour in the near future!

Masonic Temple Tour, February 2023

YFPA was offered an amazing opportunity for a special tour at the Masonic Temple in February 2023. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Norman-Romanesque style Lodge was designed by James Windrim and completed in 1873. Seven Lodge Halls, whose sumptuous interiors were designed by George Herzog and took two additional decades to complete, are “perfectly preserved” and still in active use. This behind-the-scenes tour offered access to the attic spaces where we saw the original ventilation and lighting systems. 

In With the Old at Oaks Cloister, December 2022

In December 2022 at the beautifully decorated Oaks Cloister in Germantown, YFPA celebrated another year of preservation advocacy with our annual “In With the Old” fundraising gala. By all counts, the event was a huge success: attendance at venue capacity; tables of fun raffle items; and great food, drink, and holiday spirit. A HUGE thanks to Dr. Russell Harris, YFPA’s host for the evening. Dr. Harris not only opened his home for IWTO, but he also led guests on tours of the impeccably restored historic mansion throughout the night.

Smith Playground Tour, July 2022

YFPA had a special opportunity to take a tour of Smith Playground & Playhouse, a 2022 Preservation Alliance Grand Jury Award Winner. Attendees were able to see the newly renovated basement, with updated play areas and space for a pre-school, explore the existing playhouse and take a ride down the century-old Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide. It was a real treat to explore a space that has historically been, and still delightfully is, dedicated to play and to get a chance at some playtime ourselves!

Cliveden Cleanup, June 2022

Despite the June 2022 heat, YFPA volunteers made progress at our volunteer day at Historic Cliveden, repairing a 1960s shed in need of some TLC. We removed the rotted siding, replaced the sills under both side walls, reinforced framing, primed new siding, and completed most of the install.

Pencoyd Landing Tour with Lower Merion Conservancy and the Penn Group, April 2022

Members of YFPA and the Preservation Alliance were treated to a special tour of Pencoyd Landing in Lower Merion Township, one of the area’s most exciting new adaptive reuse projects, in April 2022. Located on the site of the former Pencoyd Iron Works, one of the region’s significant riverfront industrial enterprises of the 19th and 20th centuries, Pencoyd Landing utilizes the site, its historic bridge across the Schuylkill River, and several historic structures in new and creative ways. 

Architectural Quizzo with SAH PHL, March 2022

What’s the oldest highway bridge in the United States? What well-known Philadelphia architect is interred in the Tennessee state capitol building? These, and other questions you may never have needed to know the answers to were part of Architectural Quizzo, held in March 2022. YFPA and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians teamed up to host an epic battle royale of Philadelphia-area architectural trivia. Attendees tested their knowledge of work by Philadelphia architects in other places, surrounding counties, and Philadelphia folklore.