NOMINATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING, STRUCTURE, SITE, OR OBJECT PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION SUBMIT ALL ATTACHED MATERIALS ON PAPER AND IN ELECTRONIC FORM ON CD (MS WORD FORMAT) 1. ADDRESS OF HISTORIC RESOURCE (must comply with a Board of Revision of Taxes address) ​ Street address: 401-411 S. Broad Street ​ st Postal code: 19147 Councilmanic District: 1 ​ District ​ ​ ​ 2. NAME OF HISTORIC RESOURCE Historic Name: Young Men’s & Young Women’s Hebrew Association ​ Common Name: Gershman Y ​ 3. TYPE OF HISTORIC RESOURCE ☒ Building ☐ Structure ☐ Site ☐ Object ​ 4. PROPERTY INFORMATION Condition: ☐ excellent ☒ good ☐ fair ☐ poor ☐ ruins ​ ​ Occupancy: ☒ occupied ☐ vacant ☐ under construction ☐ unknown ​ Current use: Community center, offices, galleries 5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHED 6. DESCRIPTION SEE ATTACHED 7. SIGNIFICANCE Period of Significance (from year to year): 1924-present ​ Date(s) of construction and/or alteration: 1923-24 ​ Architect, engineer, and/or designer: Frank E. Hahn, S. Brian Baylinson (associate), Paul Philippe Cret (consultant) Builder, contractor, and/or artisan: Original owner: Young Men’s & Young Women’s Hebrew Association ​ Other significant persons: Albert M. Greenfield ​ CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION: The historic resource satisfies the following criteria for designation (check all that apply): ☒ (a) Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or, ☐ (b) Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, ☒ (c) Reflects the environment in an era characterized by a distinctive architectural style; or, ☒ (d) Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or engineering specimen; or, ☒ (e) Is the work of a designer, architect, landscape architect or designer, or engineer whose work has significantly influenced the historical, architectural, economic, social, or cultural development of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or, ☐ (f) Contains elements of design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant innovation; or, ☐ (g) Is part of or related to a square, park or other distinctive area which should be preserved according to an historic, cultural or architectural motif; or, ☐ (h) Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community or City; or, ☐ (i) Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in pre-history or history; or ☒ (j) Exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historical heritage of the community. 8. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES SEE ATTACHED 9. NOMINATOR Name with Title: Benjamin Leech, consultant Email: [email protected] ​ ​ Organization: Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Date: July 15, 2016 ​ ​ Street Address: 1608 Walnut Street, Suite 804 Telephone: (215) 546-1146 ​ ​ ​ City, State, and Postal Code: Philadelphia, PA 19103 ​ ​ Nominator ☐ is ☒ is not the property owner. PHC USE ONLY Date of Receipt:_______________________________________________________________________ ☐ Correct-Complete ☐ Incorrect-Incomplete Date:_________________________________ Date of Notice Issuance:_________________________________________________________________ Property Owner at Time of Notice Name:_________________________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ City:_______________________________________ State:____ Postal Code:_________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Committee on Historic Designation:____________________________________ Date(s) Reviewed by the Historical Commission:______________________________________________ Date of Final Action:____________________________________________________________________ ☐ Designated ☐ Rejected 3/16/07 5. Boundary Description Beginning at a point formed by the intersection of the Easterly side of Broad Street (113 feet wide) and the Southerly side of Pine Street (variable width); thence extending Southwardly along the Eastern side of Broad Street passing through basement steps which are partially within the bed of said Broad Street 140 feet to a point; thence Eastwardly passing through a wall passing along the Northerly end of a three feet wide alley by Deed which leads Southwardly and passing through a retaining wall 150 feet to a point on the Westerly side of Watts Street (20 feet wide); thence Northwardly along the said Westerly side of Watts Street passing along the Westerly side of steps at two places which steps are in the bed of said Watts Street and passing along the Westerly side of a cellar door 140 feet, 0 inches to a point on the Southerly side of said Pine Street; then Westerly along the said Southerly side of Pine Street 150 feet to a point on the Easterly side of said Broad Street being the first mentioned point and place of beginning. 6. Physical Description The Young Men’s & Young Women’s Hebrew Association Building at 401-411 S. Broad Street, known since 1985 as the Gershman Y, is a four-story, reinforced concrete, masonry-clad structure occupying the southeast corner of Broad and Pine Streets in Center City Philadelphia. Completed in 1924, the Georgian Revival building was designed by architects Frank E. Hahn and S. Brian Baylinson in consultation with Paul Philippe Cret. The flat-roofed, rectangular building fills the entirety of its 140-foot by 150-foot lot, with its primary west elevation fronting Broad Street and a secondary north elevation fronting Pine Street [Fig 1]. Its rear (east) elevation fronts Watts Street; its side (south) elevation shares a party wall with an adjacent two-story building along Broad Street, but is otherwise freestanding. The Broad Street (west) and Pine Street (north) elevations are both clad in red brick, limestone, and terra cotta. Both the east and south elevations, also brick-clad, are primarily utilitarian in character. The nine-bay Broad Street (west) elevation features a full-height, three-bay engaged temple front flanked by symmetrical three-bay wings [Fig. 2]. Terra cotta belt courses span the facade above the first and third floors, framed by brick quoining at each corner. Flanking the temple front, a limestone watertable runs the length of the facade, pierced by basement windows covered by ornamental iron grates. Round-arched first-floor windows sit atop this stone base, featuring ten-over-ten double-hung windows with arched divided-light transoms, limestone impost blocks and keystones, and iron railings; limestone roundels are set between each bay. Second-floor windows feature double-hung eight-over-eight sashes with matching eight-light transoms set under flat-arched limestone lintels with raised keystones, also with iron railings. Third-floor windows feature eight-over-eight double-hung sashes with flat-arched brick lintels, limestone keystones, and thin limestone sills. Fourth-floor windows are eight-over-eight double-hung sashes with no ornamental lintels. The terra cotta cornice features a flat fascia band, dentils, block modillions, and a brick parapet with balustrade panels centered above each window bay. The facade’s central temple front stands slightly proud of its flanking wings on a quoined stone base that reaches the full height of the ground floor. The main entrance features a classical doorway surround capped by a broken pediment and an engaged, draped urn [Fig. 3]. A fascia panel over the doorway is inscribed “YM&YWHA.” The doorway itself is a non-original, metal 2 and glass double-leaf unit set under a large fixed glass transom. Atop this base, four engaged Corinthian pilasters rise three stories to the cornice, carrying a fascia panel inscribed “YOUNG MEN’S & YOUNG WOMEN’S HEBREW ASS’N” between two paterae. Between the pilasters, the upper story fenestration mirrors the proportions and configurations of the adjacent wings, but its windows are enframed in terra cotta surrounds and embellished with dentilled cornices and ornamental swags between the second and third floors. Above the fourth floor, the pediment tympanum features a bas-relief crest depicting clasped hands, the Star of David, and an oil lamp atop a stack of books, flanked by wheat sheafs, olive branches, and ornamental scrolls [Figs. 4-5]. A keystone at the corner of Broad and Pine Streets is inscribed “1923” along Broad Street and “5683” (the equivalent date in the Hebrew calendar) along Pine Street [Fig. 6]. The Pine Street elevation continues the basic ornamentation and fenestration programs of the Broad Street facade, but substitutes the pedimented temple front with a two-story, tripartite arched window flanked by paired Corinthian pilasters [Fig. 7]. The ground floor originally featured three bays of double-leaf metal doors set within a stone base two steps above sidewalk grade; only the westernmost bay currently remains operable, modified with non-historic metal doors and an accessible ramp running parallel to Pine Street. The other two openings are currently infilled with fixed panels. The arched window ensemble features a fifteen-over-fifteen double-hung window flanked by two narrow six-over-six double-hung sidelights. A heavy band of classical molding runs between the window heads and the arched transom light above, which