Old Philadelphia: Redevelopment and Conservation Author(s): William E. Lingelbach Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 93, No. 2, Studies of Historical Documents in the Library of the American Philosophical Society (May 16, 1949), pp. 179-207 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3143438 Accessed: 30-08-2018 19:04 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at https://about.jstor.org/terms American Philosophical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society This content downloaded from 65.213.241.226 on Thu, 30 Aug 2018 19:04:00 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms OLD PHILADELPHIA: REDEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION WILLIAM E. LINGELBACH Librarian, American Philosophical Society; Professor Emeritus of Modern European History, University of Pennsylvania FEDERAL STATE AND CITY PLANS a National Shrine in accordance with the terms THE extraordinary awakening of ofcivic a contract interest between the city and the Department in Old Philadelphia in the last decade of the seems Interior. now Two years later, in 1945, Governor to have emerged from the blueprint stage.Martin Federal, and the Legislature at Harrisburg, al- state, and city governments have not ready only concerned inaug- about the lack of dignified ap- urated projects of rehabilitation and proaches conservation, to Independence Hall, and the fire haz- but they are coordinating their respective ards from antiquated pro- buildings on the north, were grams where historic structures and induced sites to are set in-aside a sum of from four to eight volved, in accordance with approved million canons dollars forof a great Concourse, or Mall, be- city planning. The movement, which tween Fifth has and at- Sixth Streets from Race Street tained real momentum, has been years at the in Delaware develop- River bridgehead to Independence ing. Many private citizens, cooperating Square. By thewith acquisition of the properties in civic and patriotic oranizations, have these been nine increas- city blocks, and their demolition to ingly active in their efforts to arouse make public room opin- for landscaping, parking, and the re- ion to a sense of the opportunities, construction as well as of the historic buildings, an appropriate responsibilities, in Old Philadelphia, and particularly dignified approach to the National Shrine in and about Independence Square. from the north will be created. For a time, prog- In December 1942 a City Planning ress Commission on the project, which is now under the direc- was created by an ordinance of Citytion of Council. the Departments of Highways, and of While its duties, as defined in the Forestsordinance, and Waters, are was delayed because of the largely advisory, it has, under the chairmanship hardships incident of to dispossessing owners and our fellow-member, Edward Hopkinson, tenants Jr., at a beentime of intense housing shortage very influential, not only in promoting Early in a December,large- however, Mayor Samuel re- scale program for the development ported of the to CouncilPhila- that a complete agreement as to delphia metropolitan area, but also emphasizing procedure on the the North Mall had been reached extraordinary opportunities for rehabilitation between the city and and the state with the under- conservation in Old Philadelphia, and standing in securing that the state would spend between seven through Mayor Samuel municipal cooperationand eight million in dollars on the Concourse, the De- the execution of the federal and state partment projects of Highways in widening Fifth and Sixth the historic areas of the city. Earlier Streets, in the and same the Department of Forests and year, a group of nearly one hundred Waters interested securing the properties in the area from persons, many of them representatives Chestnut of to fifty- Race Streets for redevelopment and two civic and patriotic organizations, the mettransformation in the of the area into a park. In a Hall of the American Philosophical Society and letter submitting the draft of an ordinance, the organized the "Independence Hall Association." chairman of the City Planning Commission, and Under the direction of Judge Edwin the Director 0. Lewis of Public as WNorks said: President, a vigorous campaign, carried on with great energy, perseverance, and political Completion wisdom, of the Independence Mall will provide an during the past six years, has resulted impressive in stimulat- approach to Independence Hall and a set- ing official action in several important ting worthy directions. of that great historic shrine. It will con- Within a year, Independence Square stitute was a major made advance in the city's program for the redevelopment of the older areas of the city, and in 1 Officers of the Association were: Hon. Edwin 0. conjunction with the authorized Independence Na- Lewis, President; Miss Frances A. Wister, Roy F. Lar- son, and William E. Lingelbach, Vice-Presidents; Edward tional Historical Park and other contemplated projects M. Biddle, Treasurer; and D. Knickerbocker Boyd, Ex- in the vicinity will result in major improvements of ecutive Director. the surrounding area. PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, VOL. 93, NO. 2, MAY, 1949 179 This content downloaded from 65.213.241.226 on Thu, 30 Aug 2018 19:04:00 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms 180 WILLIAM E. LINGELBACH [PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC. Meanwhile, the urgent need of improving The four the separate areas which are to constitute rest of the environment of Independence the Independence Square, National Historical Park as de- especially the approaches from the east, scribed as ain com-the Act are: first, the three city blocks plement to the North Mall, was vigorously between Walnuturged and Chestnut from Fifth to Sec- upon Pennsylvania representatives at Washington,ond Streets; second, a memorial thoroughfare through whom an act was passed empowering from the south the side of Walnut Street to the north President to appoint a commission sideto beof Manningcalled Street; third, the site of the the "Philadelphia National Shrines residencePark Com- of Benjamin Franklin, called Franklin mission." The Commission was duly appointed,Court; and fourth, Christ Church and certain land and began work promptly.2 Numerous and meetingsbuildings adjacent to it. Sections 2, 3, 4, and were held, and a report on a thorough 5 dealsurvey with theof execution, or "furtherance of the the area was made.3 Armed with this generalReport, purposes" the of the Act-among others, a Commission enlisted the cooperation ofprovision Pennsyl- for an "advisory commission not to vania congressmen, the Department of exceed the elevenInte- members." The last section pro- rior and the National Park Service in videsthe forpassage an appropriation not to exceed $4,435,- of a bill which was signed by the President 000 for the acquisitionin of the properties in the April 1948. Known as respective areas. To complete the picture it should be recalled that at different times in recent PUBLIC LAW 795-80TH CONGRESS [H.R. 5053] years the Federal Government, through the De- An Act partment of the Interior and its National Parks To provide for the establishment of the Independence Service, has also acquired possession, or partial National Historical Park, and for other purposes. control, of several historic sites-Old Swedes, the Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-Old Custom House, and Independence Square. seltatizes of the United States of America in Con-The historic sections in Old Philadelphia in gress assembled, That, for the purpose of preserving the federal and state projects are clearly indicated for the benefit of the American people as a national on the accompanying plan (fig. 1). The North historical park certain historical structures and Mall, prop- as conceived by the engineers and archi- erties of outsanding national significance located in tects, is a two-way tree-lined boulevard from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and associated with the American Revolution and the founding and growth Independence Hall (A) north to the Delaware of the United States, the Secretary of the Interior River Bridgehead. The East Mall starts on Fifth following the consummation of agreements with Street the directly opposite Independence Square, its city of Philadelphia and the Carpenters' Company axis passingof the Old Custom House (B), encir- Philadelphia as prescribed in section 2 of this clingAct, isCarpenters' Hall (C) and the Girard Bank authorized to acquire by donation or with donated (D) and then swinging south passing the Mer- funds, or to acquire by purchase, any propery, chants'real or Exchange (E). It is expected that even- personal, within the following-described areas, such tually all the properties between Walnut and park to be fully established as the 'Independence Na- tional Historical Park" when, in the opinion of Chestnut, the and Fifth and Second Streets will be Secretary, title to sufficient of the lands and interests taken over by the federal government. While in lands within such areas, shall be vested in the the Old Custom House (B) has been in the cus- United States: Provided, That the park shall not be tody of the Department of the Interior since 1939. established until title to the First United States Bank the large new Custom House (F) on the cor- property, the M erchants' Exchange property, the ner of Chestnut and Second, although within the Bishop White house, the Dilworth-Todd-Moylan area described, is not included in the proposed house, and the site of the Benjamin Franklin house, park.