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You are viewing 144 articles with the tag Philadelphia Historical Commission
Historical Commission approves Ridge Avenue district
The Philadelphia Historical Commission granted protections to 188 buildings along a five-mile stretch of Ridge Avenue in Roxborough on Friday, creating the largest new historic district the city has seen since…
On Market East, an unusual fight in old battle pitting preservation against progress
By Ashley Hahn Market Street east of City Hall was one of Philly’s great shopping streets. After years of decline, the tide has shifted, bringing new development to parts of this…
Iconic Kensington milk bottle protected from wrecking ball
Kensington’s iconic milk bottle-shaped water tower and the aging industrial building it perches upon can no longer be demolished without a fight. In a unanimous Friday vote, the Philadelphia Historical Commission…
Chestnut Hill's modernist trio, fully historically protected in 2017
Even in a city known for its architectural heritage and historic buildings, Chestnut Hill stands out. Long one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Philadelphia, this sylvan community is home to rambling…
Historical Commission to begin considering historic districts after years, sometimes decades, of delay
For the past decade, Philadelphia’s Historical Commission has only granted protections to a handful of individual properties each year. As the pace of development escalates, and more remarkable buildings are leveled, preservationists…
Ridge Avenue demolition moratorium spurs demolition requests
A proposed demolition mortarium on Ridge Avenue, in Northwest Philadelphia, has spurred a wave of demolition applications. The bill, introduced by Councilman Curtis Jones, would apply to a five-mile stretch of…
Planning Commission puts hold on Ridge Ave demolition moratorium
In late September Councilman Curtis Jones introduced a bill that would institute a one-year moratorium on demolitions along Ridge Avenue, a central thoroughfare that runs through Philadelphia’s northwestern neighborhoods. He worries…
Small increase in Historical Commission staff size precedes “big changes” in preservation
The Philadelphia Historical Commission (PHC) will soon expand its office staff by two, the first increase in the size of the regulatory agency in 13 years, and one of several signs…
Main Street Manayunk’s First Roofdeck Stirs Controversy
For decades, a modest two-story building at 4328 Main Street in Manayunk housed Sip N’ Steaks. The greasy spoon helped hold down this corner of the neighborhood’s commercial spine when its…
Pace of Philly historic preservation accelerates as Historical Commission matches last year’s total by July
At its July meeting, the Philadelphia Historical Commission accepted eight new nominations to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, bringing the total number of newly protected individual sites in 2017 to…
Committee supports historic designation for Germantown Boys and Girls Club, West Philadelphia Title & Trust
The Committee on Historic Designation is one of the lower hurdles a nomination to the historic register must cross. The body is stocked with historians, an archaeologist, and a planner who…
Council supportive of higher city permit fees, funds to support L&I, Historical Commission
The Philadelphia City Council is considering increasing fees across the board for most licenses and permits. That might seem like a potentially contentious proposition, inspiring pushback from the business community. Instead,…
German churches and South Philly sites headed for historic designation
At the first meeting of the year for the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s Committee on Historic Designation, one object and seven properties were recommended for listing in the local register of historic…
Little Wakefield and Wister House designated historic despite La Salle's protests
Jewelers’ Row wasn’t the only contentious case before the February Historical Commission meeting. Prior to the skirmish over Sansom Street, a series of nominations on La Salle University’s campus were sent…
Handful of West Philly properties designated historic, including wee district
Friday’s meeting of the Historical Commission opened with the latest twist in the ongoing St. Laurentius saga, but otherwise the meeting proceeded in a fairly breezy fashion. Which is not…
Interior nomination for St. Laurentius withdrawn
Friday’s meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission added the latest complication to the ongoing saga of St. Laurentius church. The Fishtown site took up an hour of debate and ended with…
Council considers permit fees to support Historical Commission
On Thursday morning, three City Council members introduced legislation to bolster funding for the city’s overburdened Historical Commission. The bill, backed by Blondell Reynolds Brown, Mark Squilla, and Al Taubenberger would…
Historical Commission kicks designation review for Jewelers' Row properties down the road 90 days
On Thursday morning, the Philadelphia Historical Commission decided to wait on the nomination for two Jewelers’ Row buildings to become historic because of demolition permits were issued for the properties the…
Committee supports 6 historic nominations, from Lancaster Ave to La Salle’s campus, 6 requests for continuances
The nominations of two Jewelers’ Row buildings as historic took top billing at Friday’s meeting of the Historical Commission’s Committee on Historic Designation, which voted to support their designation. After hearing…
Committee supports designation of two threatened Jewelers' Row buildings
On Friday morning the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s Committee on Historic Designation voted unanimously to recommend the nominations of 706 and 704 Sansom Street to the local historic register. The full Philadelphia…
