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Minutes

Committee on Historic Designation — Jul 26, 1988

Philadelphia Historical CommissionJul 26, 1988
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People mentioned

Names our system found in this transcript. Automatically extracted, so it can include anyone named in the record, not only officials or parties.

Properties mentioned

  • Historic District Boundary Guidelines (General Policy)
  • Historic District Designation Process (General Policy)
  • Rittenhouse Fitler Residential District

Organizations mentioned

Committee on Historic Designation · Jul 26 1988 · §0

PHILADELPHIA HIS'IORICAL CXJMMISSION CXJMMITI'EE ON HIS'IDRIC DESIGNI\TION 26 July 1988 David Brownlee, Chairman The Thirty-first meeting of the C011111ittee on Historic Designation began at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday 26 July 1988 in Room 1313 City Hall Annex. Present: David Brownlee, Chairman of the COl111littee on Historic Designation David Baldinger, Deputy Director, Philadelphia City Planning COl111lission Caroline Golab Janet Klein Hyman Myers Sandra Tatman Richard Tyler, Historic Preservation Officer, Philadelphia Historical COl111lission Randal Baron, Preservation Planner, Philadelphia Historical COl111lission Also: MaryLou McFarland, Preservation Coalition of Greater Philadelphia DESIGNATION mMMI'l'l'EE 2 2_6 July 1988 , NEl'1 BUS~ This Ccmmittee 111:leting was called specifically to discuss ways to improve the designation process for historic districts. David Brownlee and Caroline Golab led off by sllllllBrizing the discussion and criticisms of the Rittenhouse Fitler Residential District for the Corrmittee. Members of the Corrmittee suggested that conmunity education is a key responsibility of the Corrmission that should be accanplished by: 1. Meeting more extensively with the cornnunity to explain and plan a district. 2. Explaining the difference between National Register and Philadelphia Register listing. 3. Explaining the difference between zoning and historic designation. 4. Giving the slideshow on what happens to buildings without designation early in the designation hearings. The Conmittee unanimously voted in favor of a four stage procedure for the review of district nominations. These stages are as follows: 1. Resource Identification. At this stage the staff or an outside preservation or neighborhood group will sut:mit a short (1 page) list of the possible areas of significance of an area that they propose for Historical Designation. The full Corrmittee will then walk the area from the center outward to determine if an historical district exists and if so to define a study area including the potential district and its surroundings. A meeting will then be called within two weeks of this walk to discuss and vote on these issues. 2. Preliminary Resource Definition. In the second stage the Corrmittee will be presented with a short (1 page) statement of significance as well as a map showing tentative boundaries for the district and criteria for determining contributing versus non-contributing buildings within the district. The Ccmmittee will again tour the district walking primarily along the proposed boundary. A public meeting will then be held within two weeks for the Ccmmittee to vote on these issues. 3. Final Resource Definition. In the third stage, the Ccmmittee will

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Committee on Historic Designation · Jul 26 1988 · §1

determining contributing versus non-contributing buildings within the district. The Ccmmittee will again tour the district walking primarily along the proposed boundary. A public meeting will then be held within two weeks for the Ccmmittee to vote on these issues. 3. Final Resource Definition. In the third stage, the Ccmmittee will be sent a full Statement of Significance and Description as well as the map of the district and the Corrmittee will walk the district a third time to look at the boundary building by building. The Committee will then hold a third public meeting and within two weeks hold a final vote on the district nomination. An annotated map • b DESIGNATION COMMI'ITEE 3 26 July 1988 will then be made by the staff showing wpy the bounclary should be drawn at any given location. 4. The Inventory will then be completed by the nominating group and approved by the staff before the full Comnission votes on the district. The Comnittee also discussed boundary descriptions'and unanimously adopted the following guidelines. RB/mah 1. Unless there are strong reasons against it, the boundary should include both sides of a street and whole blocks rather than pieces of blocks. 2. The issue of where a boundary line should be drawn along a street should be specifically discussed and specified during the final site visit. Respectfully sul::mitted, Randal Baron Preservation Planner

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