Curious about what goes on behind the scenes at FringeArts? Interested in learning more about the history of our converted theater and restaurant? Join us for our Historic Building Tours at FringeArts!

In 1903, Philadelphia became home to the first High Pressure Fire System. Decommissioned in 2005, the HPFS had led to a decline in fire losses and served as the backbone to the Philadelphia Fire Department for over a century. Today, the words “High Pressure Fire Service” are still on our building.

But this isn’t your average historic building tour. This is your chance to learn about how we’ve revamped the space to promote contemporary art as innovative as the history behind our building.

Grab a drink from La Peg and enjoy Happy Hour before or after your tour. You can meet our staff members by the “About Our Building” sign inside La Peg to begin the tour. Tours start at 5:30pm and run approximately 20-30 minutes.

Event Dates:
10/30/18 @ 5:30 pm
11/06/16 @ 5:30 pm
11/13/18 @ 5:30 pm
11/27/18 @ 5:30 pm
12/4/18 @ 5:30 pm
12/11/18 @ 5:30 pm
11/18/18 @ 5:30 pm

FREE.

https://fringearts.com/event/historic-building-tours/2018-10-30/

Over the past few years, we’ve lost a number of historic buildings in West Philadelphia, from churches to old Victorian homes and mansions to new construction. There have been a few meetings in the area in the past year on how residents who care about protecting historic buildings and sites can get involved with the work of such organizations as Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and University City Historical Society.

On Thursday, Jan. 18, residents are invited to learn more about the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force, which was created by Mayor Jim Kenney in May 2017. The meeting will take place at the Enterprise Center (4548 Market St) beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Continue Reading

With rapid development in Cedar Park, what steps can be taken to protect historic buildings? Community members are invited to learn more about building preservation issues in the Cedar Park area on Monday, Oct. 16 at a Neighborhood Preservation workshop presented by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. The workshop will feature an overview of historic preservation policies and the current extent of preservation protections in the neighborhood.

At the end of the workshop there will be an opportunity to share thoughts and concerns about preservation and development in the neighborhood.

The workshop will be held at the Calvary Center (in the chapel, 801 S. 48th St), beginning at 7 p.m. and will be followed by the Cedar Park Neighbors monthly board meeting.

As demand for housing and commercial development in parts of the city increases, historic buildings have come under threat of demolition. The University City Historical Society is holding an important public meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 24 to provide residents and community organizations with tools and information that will help them rally to preserve historic buildings.

The meeting, titled “The State of Preservation in West Philadelphia,” will include Martine Decamp of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission; Penn Professor Aaron Wunsch; Paul Steinke of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia; and Greg Pastore, a former member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Organizers hope the meeting will help people understand:  Continue Reading

Hawthorne Hall (Photo from grayareaphilly.org)

Down every street, and around every corner, we see Philadelphia’s history chronicled in the old brick roads, the abandoned trolley tracks, and every lot overrun by foliage.

Most of all, we see the city’s history in the timeworn foundations of its older buildings. Be it the imposing Provident Mutual Life Insurance building or the grandiose Divine Lorraine Hotel, Philadelphia’s antiquity is forever sealed in their unique brickwork and beguiling design.

But how we preserve the architecture of that history has become uninspired, if not non-existent. Instead, Philly’s historic buildings are bulldozed to make way for shopping centers and luxurious townhouses. Or they’re left abandoned—nothing more than waning icons relegated to the pronoun of “I wonder what that used to be.”

That’s where GRAY AREA comes in. Supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, GRAY AREA is an experimental project launched by the University of the Arts and DesignPhiladelphia of the Center for Architecture that looks at “historic preservation in the modern city.” Currently in its third phase, GRAY AREA aims to engage both design and development experts and the public at large in envisaging creative ways to maintain and repurpose the city’s older buildings so they’re moments of revitalization in their communities.

As part of its third phase, known as GRAY AREA 3, a multi-disciplinary cohort of experts and community partners spent most of last year studying two historic buildings: Hawthorne Hall (3849 Lancaster Avenue) in Powelton Village/Mantua, and the Max Levy building (212-220 Roberts Avenue) in Germantown. Armed with a series of questions raised during GRAY AREA’s first two phases—a panel discussion and a facilitated conversation, respectively—the team researched the buildings’ history and their cultural significance in an effort to cultivate ideas for “eventual interpretation, reuse and design.”

This Wed, May 28, the GRAY AREA 3 team will gather at the Catalyst for Change Church (3727 Baring Street) to share their findings on Hawthorne Hall with the West Philly community. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., will serve as the third phase’s final community meeting in which they will test a preservation toolkit developed for “encouraging meaningful dialogue, making unexpected and new connections, and generating ideas,” GRAY AREA Project Director Elise Vider told West Philly Local.
Continue Reading

Click to enlarge.

This weekend there’s an awesome chance to learn more about the city’s commercial corridors on the rise, hidden neighborhood histories and stroll around some great public spaces – all thanks to Jane’s Walk, a free series of neighborhood walks presented by PlanPhilly.

There will be seven walks all together taking place on Friday through Sunday, May 2-4 (learn more about each walk here). But of particular interest to West Philly folks may be a walk organized on Friday on Lancaster Avenue, “Uncovering Historic Buildings on Lancaster Avenue.” Two people from the People’s Emergency Center, James Wright and Stephanie Wall, will be leading this tour of a few blocks of Lancaster Ave to talk about work to improve and reuse significant historic properties along the corridor.

Jane’s Walk is a global movement of free, locally-led walking tours inspired by the urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs. The walks are roving conversations geared at getting people engaged with their city and connecting with one another. This is the first year Philadelphia has formally participated in the festival, which takes place in more than 100 cities.

The Lancaster Avenue walk begins at 4 p.m.