Preservation Pennsylvania

Preservation Pennsylvania
Name	Preservation Pennsylvania
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1980
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Mission	Historic preservation and advocacy in Pennsylvania

Preservation Pennsylvania is a statewide nonprofit historic preservation advocacy organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It engages with preservationists, property owners, elected officials, and cultural institutions across Pennsylvania to conserve historic sites, buildings, and districts. The organization works within networks that include preservation groups, municipal agencies, and national entities to influence policy, secure funding, and promote public awareness of architectural heritage.

History

Preservation Pennsylvania was founded in 1980 amid a national preservation movement that included organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Society of Architectural Historians, and state-level partners like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Early initiatives responded to threats facing landmarks associated with the Industrial Revolution in the United States, the expansion of interstate highways such as the Interstate 95, and urban renewal projects in cities including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over subsequent decades the organization engaged with preservation debates tied to regulatory frameworks like the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and worked alongside municipal programs exemplified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission and regional efforts connected to the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation. The group’s evolution mirrored broader trends in adaptive reuse highlighted by projects in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and heritage tourism initiatives linked to the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Mission and Programs

The organization’s mission emphasizes advocacy, education, and stewardship in collaboration with partners such as the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Program areas include endangered property lists similar in concept to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places, technical assistance reflecting practices promoted by the American Institute of Architects and the Association for Preservation Technology International, and public outreach drawing on methods used by the Smithsonian Institution and the Library Company of Philadelphia. Educational initiatives often intersect with academic programs at institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, and the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Architecture.

Preservation Activities and Projects

Activities have ranged from advocacy for individual landmarks—comparable to campaigns surrounding the Frank Furness-designed buildings and sites connected to the Pennsylvania Railroad—to broader efforts addressing landscapes like the Gettysburg National Military Park environs and industrial complexes such as former steel mill sites in Braddock, Pennsylvania and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The organization has provided guidance on rehabilitation projects using standards aligned with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and collaborated on redevelopment efforts inspired by examples such as the Heinz Lofts conversions and the renewal of the Reading Terminal Market. It has intervened in preservation cases involving properties with links to figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Thaddeus Stevens, Alice Paul, and architectural works associated with Robert Venturi and Frank Lloyd Wright in the state. Project work often intersects with preservation easement strategies modeled after those promoted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local land conservancies like the Natural Lands Trust.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors that includes preservation professionals, historians, architects, and civic leaders drawn from constituencies represented by institutions such as the Independence National Historical Park, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, and municipal preservation commissions in cities like Erie, Pennsylvania and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Executive leadership typically includes an executive director and staff specializing in advocacy, communications, and technical services, working in coalition with statewide networks including the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and regional nonprofits such as Preservation Pittsburgh. Decision-making reflects practices common to nonprofit cultural organizations registered under state law in Pennsylvania and reporting requirements linked to federal tax provisions like those administered by the Internal Revenue Service.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources combine membership contributions, grants from foundations including models like the William Penn Foundation and the Kresge Foundation, project-specific support from federal programs such as the Historic Preservation Fund, and partnerships with corporate stakeholders and local governments including city redevelopment authorities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Collaborative grantmaking has occurred with academic centers like the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and philanthropic programs tied to regional entities such as the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. The organization also leverages fundraising events and preservation tours patterned after initiatives by the Landmarks Society of Lancaster County and preservation trusts across the United States.

Awards and Recognition

Preservation efforts have been publicly recognized through awards and citations from bodies including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, state honors administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and municipal commendations issued by entities like the Philadelphia Historical Commission and local historic district review boards. Recipients of organizational awards have included rehabilitation projects linked to notable architects, community-driven restorations in towns such as York, Pennsylvania and Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and conservation campaigns associated with sites commemorating figures like Rachel Carson and George Washington. The organization’s work has been cited in media coverage by outlets such as the Philadelphia Inquirer and preservation literature published by academic presses including the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Category:Historic preservation in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Philadelphia