Exploring Philadelphia Suburban Homes (circa 1889)

presented by Jeffrey A. Cohen In the late 1880s, two serial entrepreneurs took on the unexpected project of making a visual record of Philadelphia’s suburban homes. In the abstract that would be no small task, the pair, Joseph Lewis Wells and John Ferguson Hope, commissioned large photographs of houses of individualized and venturesome design, most of

Restoring Black Heritage Sites: Challenges and Opportunities 

Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will moderate a panel discussion with the leaders of three Black heritage sites, the Marian Anderson, Henry Ossawa Tanner and Paul Robeson houses, which are each in the midst of renovations to both their physical spaces and their programmatic activities. All proceeds from this panel discussion will be donated to

2024 Architectural Dinner At Elstowe Manor in Elkins Park

Honoring Sister Mary Scullion and Joan McConnon, co-founders of Project Home Recipients of the Mary Werner DeNadai Award Presented to civic leaders who have made a lasting impact in historic preservation  Save the Date! Sponsorship and ticket information will be available soon.

The Great Challenge: The Design and Building of Girard College, 1831-2024

presented by Bruce Laverty Stephen Girard’s extraordinary testamentary bequest called for the establishment of a boarding school for “poor white male orphans.” The size of his gift and the very specific, yet incomplete, details given in his will created immediate and long-lasting legal, political educational, religious, and social justice controversies. Laverty will examine the architectural

On Placekeeping & Preservation w/ The Friends of the Tanner House

presented by Christopher Rogers, Ph.D Supported by the Mellon Foundation, The Friends of the Tanner House, The Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites (CPCRS), and a growing set of neighborhood partners embarked upon a community-centered platform for a collective vision for the Henry Ossawa Tanner House, a 2023 America’s 11 Most Endangered Places

Lynnewood Hall – The Last American Versailles 

presented by Edward Thome Located in Elkins Park, Lynnewood Hall is a Gilded Age mansion built for businessman and avid art collector Peter A. B. Widener in the late 1890s. Designed by Horace Trumbauer, architect of other notable buildings, including the neighboring Elstowe Manor, this once vibrant 110-room mansion was left unused for decades by

The People’s Commemoration in 2026

presented by Danielle DiLeo Kim, AIA In 2026, all eyes will be on Philadelphia, the birthplace of American democracy. PHILADELPHIA250 is the nonprofit leading the people’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence in Philadelphia in 2026. The People’s Commemoration is a new kind of milestone commemoration in which every Philadelphian feels included and

Treasure Philly! Rethinking Cultural Resources Preservation

presented by Shannon Garrison Treasure Philly! is the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s cultural resources survey pilot. Since summer 2023, the Treasure Philly! team has partnered with community members to document the history of the area around Broad, Germantown, and Erie (BGE) through storytelling and survey. The Philadelphia Historical Commission plans to expand this community-centered approach to

The Battery: Reviving the Delaware Generating Station

presented by Chris Kenney and Aaron Bell After its prolonged abandonment, the Delaware Generating Station designed by John Windrim has been repurposed for use as multi-family apartments, hotels, event space, offices, and soon, a fitness lifestyle campus. Strada Architects Christopher Kenney and Aaron Bell will discuss the details of its adaptive reuse with attention to

Louis Kahn and the Thoughtful Making of Spaces

presented by William Whitaker Louis Kahn (1901-74) was not an architect driven by practical considerations alone, rather he reinvigorated architecture with a renewed sense of monumental form and possibilities for human – perhaps even spiritual – connection. For Philadelphians, Kahn remains an artist of international significance to this day – some fifty years after his

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