·" PHILADELPHIA HISI'ORICAL CCMMISSION CCMMI'l'l'EE ON HISI'ORIC DESIGNATION The thirty-sixth meeting of the COITITlittee on Historic Designation began at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, 2 February 1990, in Room 791 City Hall. Present: David Brownlee, Chairman of the Corrmittee on Historic Designation David Baldinger, Deputy Director, Philadelphia City Planning Cornnission caroline Golab Janet Klein Hyman Myers Sandra Tatman Richard Tyler, Historic Preservation Officer Patricia Siemiontkowski, Assistant Historic Preservation Officer Randal Baron, Preservation Planner Ira Kauderer, Preservation Consultant NEW BUSINESS The Corrmittee reviewed a nomination for Kensington Branch YWCA Hewitt, Granger and Faist, Architects 17 4 W. Allegheny Avenue 1911-15 The YWCA building at 174 w. Allegheny Avenue possesses significance for its social history as one of the most important agencies for social reform and education in the mill districts of Northeast Philadelphia as well as for its architects Hewitt, Granger, and Paist •. ,The YM AID YWCA movement founded in England to assist indust:~ workers with lodging, food and other needed services, soon sp'fi'YI to the United States. Kensington which developed as an industrial. center of ship building and textile mills attract.ea imnigrants from many parts of Europe who came to find work in Philadelphia •. The YWCA assisted the women of Kensington and the lower Northeast with day care, meals, lodging, cultural and athletic facilities, while serving as an instrument of Protestant middleclass socialization. The architectural firm of Hewitt, Granger and Faist which designed this Colonial Revival building designed many of the region's most important buildings including the Bourse, the Bellevue Stratford Hotel and, in Kensington, the Episcopal Hospital. The Conmittee voted unanimously (6-0l in favor of recoomending this building for designation. - 2 - The Corrrnittee reviewed a nomination for a group of buildings at 1214-1232 Arch Street and asked that the form be rewritten and broken up into individual nominations for three of the buildings. The A.J. Holman building in the middle of the rCf;l was already previously designated by the Corrmission and therefore need not be reconsidered. Mershon Building Milligan and Webber 1214 Arch Street 1907 The Mershon building possesses significance as a fine example of a loft structure, as an example of Beaux Arts Classicism, as the work of the architects of Milligan and Webber and as part of a streetscape of related buildings. This type of building is unusual in cont>ining reinforced concrete floors for industrial production with a ground floor shCf;lroom and decorative facade.
loft structure, as an example of Beaux Arts Classicism, as the work of the architects of Milligan and Webber and as part of a streetscape of related buildings. This type of building is unusual in cont>ining reinforced concrete floors for industrial production with a ground floor shCf;lroom and decorative facade. The loft buildings of Arch Street were built to serve the requirements of light industrial concerns that needed close proximity to the Central Business District. Tall in height because of the high cost of land in the area and decorative because of its DowntCl;ln location and sales function this building is a fine example of a type that has become increasingly rare with the demolition for the Convention and Criminal Justice Centers and the Gallery. This building, a handsome Venetian Renaissance interpretation of Beaux Arts Classicism was designed by the important Philadelphia architectural firm of Milligan and Webber. These architects have designed such other Philadelphia landmarks as the Belgravia Hotel and the Torraine Apartments. The building has added significance as part of a streetscape of buildings on the 1200 block of Arch Street. The Corrrnittee voted unanimously (6 - 0) in favor of recoornending this building for designation. Young, Smith Field Company 1216-1220 Arch Street 1902 The Young Smith Field building possesses significance as a fine example,,(!f a loft structure, as an example of simplified Beaux Arts Classicfsm,. as the work of the architects Field and Medary and as part of a -streetscape of related buildings. This type of building is unusual in cont>ining reinforced concrete floors for industrial production with a ground floor shCf;lroom and decorative facades. The loft buildings of Arch Street were built to serve the requirements of light industrial concerns that needed close proximity to the Central Business District. Tall in height because of the high cost of land in this area, and decorative because of its dCl;lntCl;ln location and sales function, this building is a fine example of a type that has become increasingly rare with the demolition for the Convention and Criminal Justice centers as well as the Gallery. The Architects Field and Medary designed this building using a classical vocabulary - 3 - to decorate a handsome and straight-forward expression of the internal piers and floors. The building achieves added significance as part of a streetscape of loft buildings. The Committee voted unanimously (6 - 0) in favor of recorm¥:!nding this building for
designed this building using a classical vocabulary - 3 - to decorate a handsome and straight-forward expression of the internal piers and floors. The building achieves added significance as part of a streetscape of loft buildings. The Committee voted unanimously (6 - 0) in favor of recorm¥:!nding this building for designation. Breintnall Building Charles W. Bolton, Architect 1228-1232 Arch Street 1909 The Breintnall building possesses significance as a fine example of a loft structure, as an example of Beaux Arts Classicism, as the work of architect Charles w. Bolton and as part of a streetscape of related buildings. This type of building is unusual in combining reinforced concrete floors for industrial production with a ground floor showroom and decorative facades. The loft buildings of Arch Street were built to serve the requirements of light industrial concerns that needed close proximity to the Central Business District. Tall in height because of the high cost of land in this area and decorative because of its downtown location and sales function this building is a fine example of a type that has become increasingly rare with the demolition for the Convention and Criminal Justice Centers and the Gallery. This building, a handsome brick and terracotta clad interpretation of Beaux Arts Rennaissance Revival was designed by the prolific Philadelphia architect Charles w. Bolton. Mr. Bolton designed the entire company town of Pocohantas Virginia and over 500 ecclesiastical buildings as well as a selection of cournercial buildings. Finally the Breintnall building has added significance as part of a streetscape of loft buildings in the 1200 block of Arch Street. The Corrrnittee voted unanimously (6 - 0) in favor of recorrrnending this building for designation. Integrity Trust Bank Paul Phillipe Cret 715-717 Chestnut Street 1923 The In~ity Trust building possesses significance as a fine example of the··•tk of inp:>rtant Philadelphia architect Paul Cret and as an early exaiiple of Cret's "Greek modernism." Paul Cret who studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and emigrated to the United States, taught at the University of Pennsylvania and had a major i.rrq;lact on design in Philadelphia and in the country. He designed such inp:>rtant projects as the Pan American Union and Federal Reserve Building in Washington, the University of Texas in Austin, and the Federal Reserve building, the Rodin Museum and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge piers in Philadelphia. His expertise in planning is· reflected in his designs for Rittenhouse
country. He designed such inp:>rtant projects as the Pan American Union and Federal Reserve Building in Washington, the University of Texas in Austin, and the Federal Reserve building, the Rodin Museum and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge piers in Philadelphia. His expertise in planning is· reflected in his designs for Rittenhouse Square and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Integrity Trust building exemplifies Paul Cret's "translations of the structural forces of the steel frame into the language of - 4 - Classicism." He came to believe that the volume of a building should be the focus of design. With a firm training in Classical architecture, Cret looked back to the Temples of Greece, in this case the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus, and reinterpreted them for modern use. This building with its vaulted banking room still intact is an excellent example of Cret's work and of the style he refined. The Conmittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ in favor of recOlllllending this building for designation. Watkins Building Albert w. Dilks, Architect 1031-1033 Chestnut Street 1894 The Watkins building possesses significance as a rare and early extant example of a Renaissance Revival/Chicago style midrise, as an illustration of major retailing trends on the City's pre-eminent shopping street and as the work of 19th century Philadelphia architect, Albert Dilks. The Watkins building c011Dines relatively conservative Renaissance design elements popular on the east coast such as columns, capitols, balustrades and arched windows with the three sided bay and continuous vertical registers of Chicago style skyscrapers. The building is one of the earliest and most intact examples of a tall corrmercial building in Philadelphia. The building housed a succession of piano manufacturers and sales showrooms in a period when pianos were the main source of home entertainment. The WUrlitzer Company which used the building for many years consolidated piano manufacturing and sales and became "the largest purveyor of music and musical instruments in the world." The Watkins building is a fine example of the work of Albert Dilks, a Philadelphia architect who worked with T. P. Chandler and designed a series of mansions and distinctive COlllllercial structures in the late Victorian period. The COl!lllittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ in favor of reccmrending this building for designation. Rowland House 4501 Fisher's Lane c. 1793/c. 1840 The Row.\ai!d House possesses significance as a rare 18th century house in Northeast Philadelphia, part of an 18th century settlement which remains
in the late Victorian period. The COl!lllittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ in favor of reccmrending this building for designation. Rowland House 4501 Fisher's Lane c. 1793/c. 1840 The Row.\ai!d House possesses significance as a rare 18th century house in Northeast Philadelphia, part of an 18th century settlement which remains preserved along the Tacony Creek, and as the hane of Harvey Rowland who ran a mill and later an important saw works. It remains as the grandest house in the remnants of a small village typical of the earliest settlements of oxford township. Although Northeast Philadelphia lost its rural character through extensive developnent, this small settlement remains largely intact. The village probably owes its existence to a mill on Tacony Creek. The Rowlands bought the mill and expanded it into a saw works which provided "a large proportion of the larger size mill and cross cut saws in use." - 5 - The house shows many signs of having been expanded and embellished in the mid-19th century when Mr. Rowland lived in the house. The Comnittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ in favor of recornnending the house for historic designation. E. w. Clark & C~y Zantzinger, Borie, & Medary, Architects 1531-1535 Locust Street 1928 The E. w. Clark and C~y bank building possesses significance as a fine example of the work of Philadelphia architects Zantzinger, Borie and Medary, as an example of "Stripped Classicism"and as one of only four private banking facilities built in Philadelphia. Zantzinger Borie and Medary are well known for their important collaborative work on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Philadelphia Museum of Art but alone they designed such buildings as the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Building and the Protestant Episcopal Divinity School at 42nd and Spruce Streets. This building is a fine example of "Stripped Classicism", which can be seen in the melding of modernistic elements such as the vertical registers, steel casements and decorated parapet wall with Classical elements such as the stylized pilasters and pictorial friezes of Greek coins. The private banking institution of E. w. Clark was founded as a private bank in 1837 by the Clark family that also owned many public utilities and street cars as well as the Midvale steel C~y. This is one of the very few buildings in the city constructed for the specific purpose of private banking. The Corrmittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ to recormnend
in 1837 by the Clark family that also owned many public utilities and street cars as well as the Midvale steel C~y. This is one of the very few buildings in the city constructed for the specific purpose of private banking. The Corrmittee voted unanimously (6 - OJ to recormnend the building for historic designation. The Historical Comnission staff looked into the designation of this building at the request of the Planning Corrmission. Tacony Music Hall 4815-4819 Longshore Avenue 1885 The Tacony Music Hall possesses significance because of its role as the cultural, social and recreational center of Tacony and for its exuberailt~Victorian brick architecture. Tacony Music Hall was fOIJilded.:in·l872 by Henry Disston who bought 390 acres of farmland for his factory, the nation's first machine made saw works. Disston ran his comnunity in a paternalistic manner, helping to fund housing, churches and this Music Hall. The building itself was built in 1883 as a speculative venture by Frank Jordon and features cannercial space, an assem:,ly hall for lectures and music, and a library. The library in particular was funded by the Disston family. The Hall, a striking building of red brick is decorated with corbelled brickwork, pressed tin and stained glass. once prc:rninently featured on the mast head of the Tacony town newspaper, the building remains one of the major landmarks of the Tacony neighborhood. - 6 - The Cormrittee voted unanimously (6 - 0) in favor of the designation of this building. Fifth District Station House Charles D. Supplee & Son 215 s. 15th Street 1870/1898 The Fifth District Police Station house possesses significance as the earliest extant Philadelphia Police Station house, as a landmark in the develoi;;ment of the Philadelphia Police Department, as a fine example of the Second Empire style, and as the work of an irrportant architect/builder associated with 19th century Philadelphia public buildings, Charles Supplee and Son. In the mid-19th century Philadelphia made the transition from a volunteer to a professional police force. Early police stations had the role of housing not just the police and criminals but also many homeless people. This grand building on 15th Street was hailed as a major improvement for the irrportant downtown 5th district during a period of reorganization and strengthening of the police force. It remains as the oldest standing police station in the city. The building was designed by Charles D. Supplee and Son who also
building on 15th Street was hailed as a major improvement for the irrportant downtown 5th district during a period of reorganization and strengthening of the police force. It remains as the oldest standing police station in the city. The building was designed by Charles D. Supplee and Son who also designed the Ridge Avenue Farmers Market as well as several other Police Stations and Public bath houses. The free standing building with its mansard, projecting central pavillion and limestone quoins serves as one of the finest examples of the Second Empire style in the City of Philadelphia. The Cormrittee voted unanimously (6 - 0) to recommend the building for designation. Hotel Vendig J~ Franklin Stuckert 1201 Market Street 1891-1893 The Hotel Vendig possesses significance as a rare example of a Victorian terminal hotel, for its Victorian Eclectic style and as an example of the work of J. Franklin Stuckert. Built between 1891-1893 the Hotel Vendig was created to take advantage of the business brought to 12th and Market by the New Reading Terminal. A now rare exanple-of the type of econanical hotel designed to serve the train travell~, this building is also one of the very few surviving hotels of a tY91_built in the Victorian period in Philadelphia. This building was desi<3I1ed by J. Franklin Stuckert, most famous for his ecclesiastical designs and work for the Horn and Hardart Canpany. With its curved corner echoing the train station across the street, this building carries a profusion of fanciful iron and terracotta ornament typical of the eclectic architecture of the late Victorian period. The Cormrittee discussed the appropriateness of considering a building for designation that has long been slated for demolition, particularly for a major public project, in this case the Convention Center hotel. The Cormrittee decided to fulfill its technical role of - 7 advising the Corrrnission on the building's significance. The Conmittee found that the building possesses the significance to be placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places by a vote of 3 - 2. The Corrrnittee voted 4 - O, however, to recommend against the designation of the building because of the established public policy decision to demolish the building. In both cases Hyman Myers abstained fran voting because of his role in the Convention Center project. The staff has since learned that a demolition permit was obtained for the building prior to the meeting. The staff
the building because of the established public policy decision to demolish the building. In both cases Hyman Myers abstained fran voting because of his role in the Convention Center project. The staff has since learned that a demolition permit was obtained for the building prior to the meeting. The staff presented the Corrrnittee with a list of buildings and a slide show to help them pick out a number of buildings for possible future designation. This process was meant to help guide the staff in choosing buildings in the Central Business District for our consultant Mr. Kauderer to naninate under the terms of our Certified Local Government grant. The Comnittee members ranked each building taking into account both significance and threats to the buildings. The staff will tabulate the results and prioritize the buildings accordingly. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. RB:sj Randal Baron Preservation Planner