A PRESERVATION REVOLUTION: RESURRECTING FRANKLIN COURT FOR THE BICENTENNIAL Ryan Zeek Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Historic Preservation Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Columbia University May 2019 Acknowledgments I am greatly indebted to my advisor, Andrew Dolkart, for his guidance and feedback throughout this process. Likewise, I am similarly thankful for the input provided by my readers, Paul Bentel and Will Cook. I received inspiration and support from other faculty members as well, including Michael Adlerstein, Erica Avrami, Françoise Bollack, Chris Neville, Richard Pieper, and Norman Weiss – thank you. I am also very thankful for the support that I received from Tyler Love and Andrea Ashby at the National Park Service’s Independence National Historical Park Archives, as well as from Heather Isbell Schumacher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Architectural Archives. I would also like to thank Franklin Vagnone and Jeffrey Cohen, who kindly lent their time to answer my questions and point me in valuable directions. In addition, I would like to thank Glen Umberger, for it was during a conversation with him while I was an intern at The New York Landmarks Conservancy that the idea for this thesis first entered the world. I am also indebted to the Preservation League of New York State and the Zabar Family Scholarship for their support. Without the members of my cohort, who listened to my ideas and struggles both, and buoyed me up throughout the whole process, this thesis would not have been possible – thank you all for being some of the most incredible colleagues that a preservationist could ever want. I am also very thankful for the support and encouragement that I received from my friends and family, not only while I was engaged in producing this thesis, but throughout the entire time that I have been in the program. James – I would not be here had it not been for your continued, patient, unwavering faith in me. And while the written word may not command the same attention as a piece of jewelry, I would argue that it is much, much more valuable…and the words that follow are all yours. Table of Contents List of Commonly Used Abbreviations and Shortened Terms i Glossary of Terms from National Park Service’s Administrative Policies (1968) ii Chapter 1: An Impactful Preservation Project 1 Purpose of Research 10 Chapter 2: The Rise and Fall of Franklin Court 16 Construction, 1763-1765 16 Enlargement, 1786-1787 19 Rental Years and Demolition: 1794-1812 19 Chapter 3: Nineteenth Century Preservation and Perspectives on INHP 23 Nineteenth Century Preservation: Events that Shaped INHP 23 The Old State House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 24 Shrines to the Father of the Country 31 “A Classic in the Annals of Vandalism” 34 Chapter 4: Early Twentieth Century Preservation and Federal Involvement 42 Preservation and the Federal Government 42 The Historic Village 44 The New Deal and the 1935 Historic Sites Act 47 Chapter 5: Mid-Century Developments and the Formation of INHP 51 World War II and Aftereffects 51 Urban Renewal and Cooperative Agreements: Formation of INHP 52 Chapter 6: Discord on the Road to the Bicentennial 60 Preservationists Fight Back 60 The 1966 National Historic Preservation Act 63 Bicentennial Planning 65 ARB Reorganization 69 Chapter 7: Celebrations Amidst Social Change 72 1876: The Centennial Celebration 72 The Late 1960s: Growing Distrust of the Federal Government 75 Chapter 8: The Great Reconstruction Debate 79 NPS and the Bicentennial 79 The Franklin Court Project 80 Researching the House 81 How to Proceed? 85 Reconstruction Precedents 86 The 1968 Guidelines for Reconstructions 88 Debate: 1968-1970 89 “…insufficient evidence has survived…” 91 Chapter 9: Envisioning Franklin Court 96 Staffing the Project 96 Venturi and Rauch 98 The Franklin Scholars 100 Origin of the Ghost Structure 103 Opening to the Public 109 Chapter 10: Contemporary Comparison and Views on Franklin Court 111 The Graff House Project 111 History of the Graff House 113 Against the 1970 Decision of Franklin Court 120 Reconstructing the Graff House 123 Reception of the Two Projects in 1976 129 Chapter 11: A Critical Look at Franklin Court and its Legacy 132 Franklin Court…Something Different 132 Franklin Court as an Award-Winning Design 133 Franklin Court as Modern Art 132 Franklin Court as Inspiration in the Field of Preservation 136 Bibliography 148 i List of Commonly Used Abbreviations and Shortened Terms American Revolution Bicentennial: the Bicentennial American Revolution Bicentennial Administration: ARBA American Revolution Bicentennial Commission: ARBC Department of the Interior DOI Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson HHH&L Historic American Building Survey HABS Independence National Historical Park: INHP National Park Service: NPS National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States: the National Trust Philadelphia Centennial World Exposition of 1876: the Centennial Wakefield National Memorial Association WNMA ii Glossary of Terms from the 1968 “Administrative Policies for Historical Areas of the National Park System”1 Preservation: application of measures designed to sustain the form and extent of a structure essentially as existing when the National Park Service assumes responsibility. Preservation aims at halting further deterioration and providing structural safety but does not contemplate significant rebuilding. Preservation includes: (a) Techniques of arresting or slowing the deterioration of a structure; (b) Improvement of structural conditions to make a structure safe, habitable, or otherwise useful; (c) Normal maintenance and minor repairs that do not change or adversely affect the fabric or historic appearance of a structure. Restoration: the process of accurately recovering, by the removal of later work and the replacement of missing original work, the form and details of a structure or part of a structure, together with its setting, as it appeared at some period in time. Restoration includes: (a) Full restoration – both exterior and interior. (b) Partial restoration – exterior, interior, or any partial combination. Partial restoration is adopted when only parts of a structure – external internal, or in combination – are important in illustrating cultural values at its level of historic significance, or contribute to the values for which the area was designated. (c) Adaptive restoration – all or a portion (façade, for example) of the exterior restored, with interior adapted to modern functional use. Adaptive restoration is the treatment for structures that are visually important in the historic scene but do not otherwise qualify for exhibition purposes. In such cases, the façade or so much of the exterior as is necessary, should be authentically restored to achieve the management purpose so that it will be properly understood from the public view. The interior, in these circumstances, is usually converted to a modern, functional use. The restored portion of the exterior should be faithfully preserved in its restored form and detail. Reconstruction: the process of accurately reproducing by new construction the form and details of a vanished structure, or part of it, as it appeared at some point in time. Restoration includes: (a) Full reconstruction. (b) Partial reconstruction. 1 Reconstruction guidelines from National Park Service, “Administrative Policies for Historical Areas of the National Park System,” September 1968: 9, https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/admin_policies/policy1-part1.htm. Page 1 Chapter 1: An Impactful Preservation Project 1976 marked two hundred years since the declaration of American independence. This milestone, celebrated nationwide as the American Revolution Bicentennial (hereafter referred to as the Bicentennial), engendered years of planning and preparation at all levels, from the United States federal government down to numerous municipalities and private groups. Due to the historic significance of this celebration, a large portion of the planning comprised historic preservation activities related to the founding and early years of the United States. Of the many preservation projects completed for the Bicentennial, this study focuses on one in particular: the abstract interpretation of Franklin Court, designed by Venturi and Rauch for the National Park Service (NPS). Located within the boundaries of Independence National Historical Park (INHP) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Franklin Court represents the site where Founding Father Benjamin Franklin resided from May 1775 to October 1776, and from September 1785 until his death in April 1790 (Figures 1, 2, and 3). A spare “ghost structure” of white steel tubing, Franklin Court’s abstract expression represents a deviation from traditional American preservation practice as it developed through the 1970s, which I will show through discussion of and comparison to relevant preservation projects spanning from the early nineteenth century through and including the Bicentennial. I selected Franklin Court for this study not only for its seminal nature, but also for the ready comparison offered by another NPS Bicentennial project: the Jacob Graff, Jr. House (hereafter referred to as the Graff House), where Thomas Jefferson lodged in Philadelphia while drafting the Declaration Page 2 of Independence (Figure 4).1 The Franklin Court and Graff House projects shared many similarities, in that they were long-demolished structures, associated with prominent Founding