Preservation Alliance releases Sixth Annual Endangered Properties List

The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia is pleased to present its Sixth Annual Endangered Properties List. This list draws attention to significant historic resources in the region that are threatened by neglect, demolition or redevelopment.
“Endangered” status does not ensure protection, nor does it provide funding. Our goal is to raise awareness, direct support and help focus the work and resources that may lead to preservation of these vulnerable historic treasures.
Several of the properties on this year’s list are former residences with important stories to tell:

• The 42-acre Elkins Estate in Montgomery County was home to streetcar magnate William L. Elkins; new owners need community support to maintain the Gilded-Age mansions on the property.
• The English Tudor revival Parkgate in Mount Airy was built as a fireproof home for the art collection of John McIlhenny; while the collection is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the house is obscured by overgrowth and graffiti.
• The dilapidated townhouse in Spring Garden was once home to Robert Purvis, one of the most important figures in the abolitionist movement; from this residence he continued his lifelong efforts on behalf of women’s suffrage and civil rights.
• Community support has already played a significant role in drawing broader public attention to the Carnegie Library branches on our list, which remain at risk.
• A “friends” group has rallied to rescue the historic Lower Dublin Academy near Holmesburg, vulnerable since a fire gutted the stone building’s interior.
• Along the Central Delaware Waterfront, significant resources connected with the city’s industrial heritage and potential troves of archaeological evidence are threatened by redevelopment.

For full descriptions of the properties, more information about the threat and the Alliance’s recommendations, click to view the Endangered Properties List special edition newsletter.

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia actively promotes the appreciation, protection and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities and landscapes. With the Endangered Properties List, the Preservation Alliance aims to raise the public’s awareness about threatened historic resources and influence lawmakers who help form, uphold and promote preservation ordinances and incentives throughout the Philadelphia region. Please join us in recognizing and protecting the important places that make Philadelphia special.