Check out David Traub’s Weekly Press column

Check out David Traub’s Weekly Press column on the Assumption Church controversy in the Callowhill section of the city.

A little background from Alan Jaffe’s PlanPhilly coverage of his preservation group:

One of the more eclectic – one might say quirky – lists of endangered sites in the Philadelphia area was compiled last year by the non-profit group Save Our Sites.

SOS tapped out an appeal to protect some historic resources that are at the heart of heated preservation campaigns, including the Church of the Assumption, the old Family Court building, and the SS United States.

But the list also included the call to protect Eakins Oval, though there is no imminent danger to the erstwhile Parkway parking lot, and the concrete arch at Penn’s Landing, which stands as a reminder of the failed Camden-Philadelphia Tramway project.

SOS defines itself as an “urban preservationist” organization, said architect David Traub, the group’s spokesman. “We wanted to have a different character from the Preservation Alliance [for Greater Philadelphia],” which focuses on resources of historical and architectural significance. “We consider historic preservation as a component of urban preservation,” Traub said. “We’re not as concerned with pedigreed buildings. We like the mutts – the contributing buildings that give support to landmark buildings.”

The 200-member nonprofit organization began as an ad hoc group called Save Our Square, formed during the fight over Rindelaub’s Row, the strip of four 1840s buildings that were eventually razed in 2006 for the 33-story 10 Rittenhouse Square condo project.

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