March/April 2017 The Newsletter of The Society Hill Civic Association SOCIETY HILL Reporter www.societyhillcivic.org Community Updated on Acme Project he Society Hill Civic Association (SHCA) site was put under contract for sale to Alterra. T held an emergency meeting updating the In May of that year, the developer presented three community on the status of the Acme project on plans to SHCA without attempting to first engage January 26, two days after our president, Rosanne the neighbors. Loesch, received the project plans from Council - By that August, Alterra had received a zoning man Mark Squilla. permit for a 5,719-square-foot addition to the Existing street-level view, A notice posted on the building on January 13 existing building and the construction of two facing south. was the first indication our civic association additional stories above the existing building had that the owner of the location, an affiliate of with no mention of a demolition. SHCA appealed Alterra Property Group, was issued a conditional this based on the argument that it did not conform permit. This conditional permit is for the demoli - to all requirements of the zoning code. tion of the existing building and construction An affiliate of Alterra purchased the site in of a 53-foot, 5-story project with 65 units and February 2016 and was issued a second zoning 43 underground parking spaces. permit for a 38-foot project. SHCA appealed this At the meeting, neighbors were brought up to dat e second permit, again based on the failure to Proposed street-level view. with a timeline that went back to 2015, when the comply to zoning code requirements. continued on page 23 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING HCA will host its next General Membership two very creative plans for the redesign of S Meeting on March 15 at Pennsylvania Foglietta Plaza, which is in Society Hill bordered Hospital’s Zubrow Auditorium, located on the by Spruce and Dock Streets and Front Street and first floor inside the main entrance at 8th Street the 38th Parallel Place. near Spruce. Please arrive by 6:45 for refreshments The continuing dialogue on a Society Hill master and the opportunity to socialize with neighbors. plan with urban planning firm KSK will continue Representatives from OLIN Studio, the preeminent at Zubrow Auditorium on Thursday, April 13 at Philadelphia landscape design firm, will present 7:15 p.m. Arrive at 6:45 p.m. for light refresh ments. WEDNESDAY MARK YOUR CALENDAR YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE March Society Hill Civic Association Meetings 15 Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Pennsylvania Hospital 8th & Spruce Streets 5:45 p.m. Board Meeting Pennsylvania Hospital’s Grand Court Room 7:30-9 p.m. General Membership Meeting Pennsylvania Hospital’s Zubrow Auditorium Speakers: Representatives of OLIN Studio, Thanks to the Penn’s Landing Square Landscape Philadelphia’s preeminent landscape design firm Committee for lighting up trees at the corner of Topic: Redesign of Foglietta Plaza 2nd and Spruce Streets, as well as the neighbor - hood. A welcome bit of winter cheer! Bonnie Halda Photo page 2 society hill Repoer NUSA ace SOCIETY HILL 1st Pl inning ard-W Aw etter Newsl Reporter 2016 Editor in Chief Graphic Design Sandra Rothman [email protected] Columnists Press Release Liaison Marilyn Appel c/o Matt DeJulio Claire Batten [email protected] Jane Biberman Advertising Manager Al Cavalari Lenore Hardy Matt DeJulio [email protected] Mike Harris Submission Deadlines Lisa Kelly May/June Issue Martha Levine April 1 Sandra Rothman Society Hill Civic Association Keri White Katy Wich P. O. Box 63503 Philadelphia, PA 19147 Contributors Tel. 215-629-1288 Jonathan Burton Bonnie Halda Website Rosanne Loesch Find past issues in color at www.societyhillcivic.org. The views set forth in the opinion articles are the views of the authors and are not necessarily those of SHCA. Submissions If you have news that would be of interest to Society Hillers, email Sandra Rothman at [email protected]. Materials must be submitted in writing and include the name of a contact person. Edited submissions will be considered for publication if space permits. Letters to the Editor must be signed, with contact information. SHCA Mission Statement The aims and purposes of SHCA are to promote the improvement of parallel the Society Hill area of Philadelphia, including its cultural, educational and civic activities, and the preservation and restoration of its historic buildings; to represent the residents of Society Hill in matters affecting the City of Philadel p hia generally and Society Hill in particular; and design to interpret the value and significance of Society Hill to the public. Find our SHCA Board Officers and Directors designs President SE Quadrant online. Rosanne Loesch Woody Rosenbach, Barbara First Vice President Gelman, Gail Hauptfuhrer Martha Levine SW Quadrant BeyondTheLibertyBell.org Second Vice President Alison T. Young, Carolyn Parallel-Design.com Kim Williams Ambler Walter, Martha Moore Treasurer Continuing Director SusieMeissner.com Madeline Miller Bob Curley 215-476-4040 Secretary Representatives Diane Stein St. James Court Directors at Large Norm Wisler Logos Logos Georgine Atacan, Jeff Berry, Penn’s Landing Square Amy DeMarco, George Dowdall, Loretta Burton WebWsietbes ites Shelly Hirsh, Dan Horowitz, Independence Place BanBnaenrs ners Newsletters Newsletters Mary Purcell, Lisa Unger Jerry Yablin NE Quadrant Hopkinson House The Award-Winning The Award-Winning BooBkso o k s Fred Manfred, George Kelley, Diane Rossheim BrocBhruocrehs ures Society Hill Society Hill Robert Kramer Society Hill Towers NW Quadrant Lorna Katz Lawson InvitInatviiotants ions ! Reporter ! Reporter Sissie Lipton, Norman Lieber - St. James Highrise man, Mary Tracy Priscilla McDougal march/april 2017 page 3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By RoSAnne loeSCH Protecting the Character and Scale Of Our World Heritage City recently read a New York Times article about But zoning is where height and mass start to I how Shanghai has lost its cultural past and be determined, and the zoning classifications architectural history by destroying old buildings and overlays we were assigned didn’t differ from (and the old way of life) and erecting skyscrapers other neighborhoods. Nothing special was done everywhere. You can read this piece at www. to protect the scale of this most historic district. nytimes.com/2017/01/23/travel/shanghai- CMX-2 zoning, which is small-scale neighborhood shikumen-architecture-homes-china. commercial and residential mixed use, with potential additional height and density bonuses, This reminded me of the worrying direction was assigned to a number of important properties in which Philadelphia is heading. in Society Hill — like the Acme site, for example. One of the goals of Philadelphia’s new zoning The Acme site is surrounded and abutted by Rosanne Loesch, code was to create more density. Why we need SHCA President more density in a city that encompasses such a the historic fabric of 18th- and 19th-century vast area of land, I don’t know. Of course density buildings, including Society Hill Synagogue, is a code word for greater height and mass, as built as a Baptist church in 1829. In addition, well as potentially smaller units — like micro the Acme was part of a shopping district created apartments. during the redevelopment of the community in the 1950s. It was considered to be a vital But what people love about Philadelphia is element to the success of restoring the historic its eclectic neighborhoods; low-rise pedestrian- district to a residential neighborhood. friendly streets and historic architecture. Preserving, enhancing and expanding upon I would argue that the nation’s first World Heritag e these didn’t seem to be the priority of the zoning City should be protecting its unique character. code overhaul, however. It felt, instead, like a This includes the scale and history of not only developer-driven process the city embraced for Society Hill, but also dozens of other neighbor - its potential new tax revenues or maybe the hoods that are equally historic. We have a vibrant way it would “modernize” Philadelphia. constellation of skyscrapers in our business district, which seems useful and appropriate. The Crosstown Coalition is the alliance of neigh - But must we disfigure our lovely city by dotting borhood groups that SHCA is part of. It had input tall buildings everywhere? Must we lose the in the zoning overhaul but rarely seemed to alter human scale and the eclectic mix of cornices what came out of the process. Even fewer of the all of a similar scale, with none overpowering each citizen recommendations survived City Council. other ? And must we lose the open space that con - But nearer and dearer to our residents was the tributes so much to that sense of “ahhh” when re - total lack of consideration given to historic dis - turning from dense metropolises like New York? tricts, particularly Society Hill. This is arguably the premiere historic district in the U.S. — We’re capable of destroying what we love about birthplace of the nation, the Declaration of our city, but we also can act to save it. Independence and the Constitution. Rosanne Loesch We were told that our protections lie with the is an attorney. She, her husband Historic Commission and that the Historic and two children have lived in a historic house on Spruce Street since 2002 and, before that, lived for 14 Commission was not being overhauled. years in the Washington Square West neighborhood. In This Issue… Page 7 Page 11 Page 21 Museum of the American Revolution Stepping Back in Time South Street Headhouse District Welcome to a Revolutionary Neighbor Bethel Burying Ground Little Bird Café Spreads Its Wings Page 9 Page 14 Page 26 Keeping Posted Welcome Basket Recipients Nifty Neighbors in My Own Backyard American Philosophical Society A Major Milestone Reached! Elizabeth Morris’s Enduring Legacy page 4 society hill Repoer Philadelphia Gardens, Inc.