Explore the historic 69th Street Shopping District in Upper Darby, a major retail center built at the terminus of the Market Street Elevated primarily by real estate developer John McClatchy in the early 20th century. See such notable sites as the Moorish style McClatchy Building, the Romanesque 69th Street Terminal and the Classical Revival Tower Theater along with numerous Art Deco buildings; the most concentrated group of this style in the Philadelphia area.

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 Raymond and George Nakashima. 

The Raymond Farm was originally a 18th and 19th Century Quaker farm. It became the home and summer studio of Noémi and Antonin Raymond in 1938 when the Raymonds renovated the Farmhouse in their unique fusion of Modernist/ Japanese design and craft. The Raymonds’ international careers, which spanned from the 1910s through the 1970s, included practicing architecture in addition to designing furniture, lighting and textile designs, as well as ceramics, flatware and ironwork. Working between their Japan and New York offices, the Raymonds established one of the most avant-garde design studios in the world. In Japan, Antonin would eventually become known as the “Father of Modern Architecture.” 

The Nakashima Woodworkers, neighboring the Raymond Farm Center is located on a three-acre property consisting of their family home, workshops, and a series of outbuildings and experimental structures. The Nakashima family first came to New Hope in 1943, when the Raymonds assisted them in being released from the Japanese Internment Camp in Minidoka, Idaho, tragically created in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. George Nakashima and his family lived shortly at the Raymond Farm before settling at what would become the Nakashima Woodworker compound in 1946. Over the years, George designed and expanded the complex adding buildings including the remarkable Conoid Studio, the Showroom, Arts Building, and many others. The studio continues George’s legacy by preserving its unique works of architecture and producing George and Mira Nakashima’s furniture designs. 

Itinerary:

10am:  Meet at the Raymond Farmhouse at 6370 Pidcock Creek Road, New Hope PA 18938 (map). Tour until 11:45 am

12pm-12:50pm: Picnic lunch at the Raymond Farm Center (Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions!)

1pm: Meet at the Nakashima Woodworkers (5 minute drive) at 1847 Aquetong Rd, New Hope, PA 18938 (map)

The tour will conclude at 3pm.

Situated to the northeast of Center City, Fishtown figured prominently in Philadelphia’s great industrial age of the late 19th/early 20th century when it was developed to house many of the workers who were employed by the major industries that built factories in this part of the city. Discover how Fishtown’s residences are going through restoration as it becomes a sought after location in which to live.