Historic trolley depot Philadelphia, Pennsylvania blog.preservationleadershipforum.org |
Once again, the drop box folder seems to be in need of cleaning out. To put a dent in the clutter, I found this wonderful blog post by Melissa Jest for the Preservation Leadership Forum titled "New Program for Historic Property Developers Launches." As I've said time and again, preservation is not about being anti-development, it's anti-inappropriate development. To wit, our friends at the National Trust for Historic Preservation have launched a new program called Historic Property Redevelopment Program. Supported by the 1772 Foundation, the program is designed to
...sustain the positive impacts of preservation on the ground and expand the network of historic property redevelopers. HPRP will explore the common ground shared by the broad community of preservation organizations, revolving fund managers, nonprofit community developers, city and planning officials, and social entrepreneurs working and reinvesting in older and historic properties.
Electric trolley (c.1892) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Historical Society of Pennsylvania philadelphiaencyclopedia.org |
The transformation of an historic trolley depot in North Philadelphia is a good example of how the HPRP can work. Tonetta Graham, the executive director of the Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation was heart broken over the threatened demise of the beloved 110-year old historic Bus Barn in her North Philadelphia neighborhood. In 2012, the City of Philadelphia wanted to demolish the building to make way for a new transit hub. If she could, she would've "heart-bombed" the building with "...with hundreds of homemade paper hearts and love letters..." Instead of doing the stereotypical preservationist thing and chaining herself to the building, Ms. Graham reached out to the local preservation organizations and combined forces. The result was the two groups were able to successfully advocate for the depot's reuse and inclusion in the new transit scheme. At present, the Strawberry Mansion CDC uses this collaborative approach to preservation to encourage additional reinvestment in the area properties.
Frankford Depot (1955) with Brill trolley (1923) phillytrolley.org |
Community development corporations are excellent and logical partners for preservation organizations and their leaders are just as excited about joining a national network of preservation-minded organizations. In Ms. Jest's opening months as manager of the program, she has spoken involved with redeveloping historic properties and was inspired by their stories.
Asylum Hill neighborhood Hartford, Connecticut tripadvisor.com |
Charles Beiderbecke House Hamburg Historic District Davenport, Iowa en.wikipedia.org |
When the home mortgage crisis first erupted in 2007, many people lost their homes and once thriving communities fell into despair. Houses were vacated due foreclosures and blight set upon the community. Initiatives like the Historic Properties Redevelopment Programs make it possible for people to rescue their communities for further blight, rehabilitate, and reuse deteriorating buildings now and in the future. The HPRP is an excellent example of community advocates and preservationists getting together and managing change. After all, this is what historic preservation is about.
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