A city’s history plays a significant role in how we move through it, especially East Coast colonial cities such as Philadelphia. William Penn and Thomas Holmes’ grid framework for Center City Philadelphia still exists today and is in many ways Philadelphia’s most defining characteristic. Oftentimes new development projects will unearth pieces of history long forgotten, as was the case with the planned SugarHouse Casino and the Girard Avenue interchange of I-95. Keeping and commemorating our important historical moments helps inform future development and contributes additional character to a community.
Why can't old and new architecture just get along? Classic and contemporary forms usually don't play well together says Steven Semes in his new book: "The Future of the Past".
At the Historical Society Thursday night, a prominent scholar in indigenous culture and leaders from two Lenape tribal nations paid tribute to the 1682 Treaty of Friendship, reached at Penn Treaty Park.
Multi-faceted collaborative effort called PhilaPlace is protecting our city's sometimes fragile heritage by creating a rich narrative through videos, photos and text.
Present Events
March 23, 2010 9:00am
March 23, 2010 6:00pm - 8:00pm
March 25, 2010 5:30pm - 7:30pm
March 28, 2010 1:00pm
Past Events
March 14, 2010 4:30pm
March 13, 2010 3:30pm - 6:30pm
March 11, 2010 5:00pm
March 9, 2010 7:30pm
Opinion
An exerpt from Hughes' new column "Built" in the Daily News: "It's been 100 years since anyone walked down the streets of Philadelphia and thought, This is the future. But Philadelphians are now building a city for the future using the assets we've inherited, mixed with the ideas we've pioneered. Built will bring you those stories."
Mark Alan Hughes teaches at PennDesign and Penn's TC Chan Center for Energy Studies. E-mail him at