Celebrating National Historic Preservation Month

May is National Historic Preservation Month. To celebrate, the Preservation Alliance asked 31 historic preservation leaders in Philadelphia to name a building that has inspired them and why. We invite you to watch this space daily and hear from leaders in the local preservation movement as they reveal the historic buildings that have inspired them.

Laura M. Spina Richmond Power Station 3901 Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia

When I was in college, I’d ride the train on the Atlantic City line to Philadelphia to return to school after holidays. My favorite part of the trip was going over the Delaware River and seeing the Richmond Power Station standing like a sentry as we entered Philadelphia. It’s a striking marriage of classical design and 20 th century technology, and a wonderful counterpart to the other stone-clad temple at the top of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. But unlike the Art Museum, the power station sits empty and in decay. The massive structure, designed by John T. Windrim and Chief Engineer W.C.L. Eglin, was part of the building boom by the Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) in the mid-1920s. Along with the Delaware Station (near Penn Treaty Park) and Chester Power Station in Chester, PA, the Richmond Power Station helped drive the technical revolution to bring electricity to the city. For me the station embodies Philadelphia: beautiful, yet faded; overlooked, but full of potential.

Now, as a planner in Philadelphia, the building still resonates with me. Although Philadelphia was once the “Workshop of the World,” few structures that reflect our industrial past are on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. To research the property, I had the privilege of going out with photographers from the City’s Photography Unit (which no longer exists) and the Police Marine unit. We were able to ride a boat up the Delaware and pull up in front of the station. The massive coal tower greeted us as we landed, and we were able to tour the interior. The machinery was still in place, though the paint was peeling in places and the dials and gauges have long been quiet. The expansive turbine hall cast the same awe as a cathedral. Although the building is starting to show serious wear from the elements – windows are broken and the façade is starting to show distress – its handsome and powerful presence is still very much intact. Unlike its counterparts in Fishtown and Chester, this station sits in an industrial area with little development potential. However, I hope that as the industrial sector continues to evolve with new technologies, we can find a reuse for this massive beauty soon.

Laura M. Spina Director of Community Planning, Philadelphia City Planning Commission

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Tuesday, May 26, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Penn Square, City Hall, and the Emergence of Modern Philadelphia Presented by Paul Steinke ,   Executive Director,  Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia The building of Philadelphia City Hall at Center Square in the late 19th century was not only a monumental feat of art, architecture and engineering. It was also a powerful catalyst for city building, and for the forging of a civic identity. Preservation Alliance executive director Paul Steinke discusses the forces that led our municipal headquarters to be located where it is, as well as the forces it unleashed to transform the surrounding neighborhood.

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Tuesday, June 2, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Saving Neon and Rowhouse Culture Presented by Len Davidson ,   Founder,  Neon Museum of Philadelphia For over 40 years, Len Davidson has produced new neon and collected the old, both in sign and story. His 1999 book Vintage Neon is an essential photo archive and cultural history for sign lovers. Len’s interactive talk will examine Philly neon history including his establishment of the Neon Museum of Philadelphia in lower Kensington.

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