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Buildings That Need Adoption Support your park by preserving a part of history. Some buildings in Fairmount Park need help. By help, we mean restoration. Your efforts would not only save a building, but also make it available for adaptive reuse, by you or someone else. Take a look at our list. For more information please call the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust at 215-877-8001 or visit www.fairmountparktrust.org  FDR Park Boathouse Built in 1914 and expanded as the Russian Tea Room for America's Sesquicentennial Exposition of 1926, this building later became a boat rental facility and recreation pavilion. With its elegant arches and horizontal profile, the building significantly contributes to the Park's aesthetic quality. Location: FDR Park 1900 FDR Parkway Philadelphia, PA 19145  Guard Boxes From the 1870s through the 1970s, the elite Fairmount Park Guard patrolled the entire park system and became a legendary part of Philadelphia's civic life. Guard Boxes, used as patrol stations by the Guard, survive throughout the Park as a reminder of the Guard's importance in Park history. A large-scale preservation campaign is urgently needed to protect the Guard Boxes from destruction and to find a new use for these wonderful Park icons.
Glen Fern Hands down one of the most important sites in the Wissahickon is Glen Fern (a.k.a. Livezey). Home to the very successful colonial miller, Thomas Livezey, the house is the last surviving millers' house in the Wissahickon. Historically, this site was often referred to as the largest grist mill in the colonies. If you want to see the heart of the Wissahickon's industrial past, this is the spot. Entering this house is like stepping into 1747 because so much of the original fabric of the building still exists. One fireplace, which spans almost the entire length of the room has its own sitting nook and window! Also notable are the other remaining rare structures on the site including the newly restored spring house (many thanks to some generous Livezey family descendants), the dam, and the foundations of the mill. The goal is to find a compatible adaptive reuse for this special site so it can continue to tell its story to new generations. Location: Wissahickon Park 1100 Livezey Lane Philadelphia, PA 19119
These are definitely the oldest toilet buildings around - and we think the most attractive in the park. Built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, these two buildings are remarkable because they are among the few utilitarian facilities to survive from any nineteenth century international exposition. Currently used as storage sheds, the buildings need substantial restoration and adaptive reuse. Location: West Fairmount Park 4160 Horticultural Drive Philadelphia, PA 19131
Letitia Street House This house was built circa 1715 for Thomas Chalkley, a Philadelphia merchant and Quaker preacher, on land near 2nd and Chestnut Streets originally owned by William Penn's daughter, Letitia. In 1883, preservation sentiment led the City to purchase the house and relocate it to Fairmount Park as a public museum - one of the first acts of preservation in the city. After serving as office space for the zoo for years, the building is now vacant and eager for someone to adopt it. Location: West Fairmount Park 3400 West Girard Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104
Ohio House The State of Ohio built Ohio House at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition to showcase the state's industrial capability and natural resources. As the only state building left from the Centennial, the Ohio House has a storied history for all World Fair lovers. The exterior stonework features 21 different Ohio sandstones with inscriptions indicating the source quarries. Complete with the state seal of Ohio above the door, this building needs to be lovingly restored to its former Glory -- soon. Location: West Fairmount Park 4700 States Drive Philadelphia, PA 19131  Strawberry Mansion Music Pavilion Philadelphians flocked to the Strawberry Mansion Music Pavilion for summer band concerts from the structure's opening in 1905 until the 1930s. Horace Trumbauer designed the pavilion as a series of pergolas and small brick structures, one of which still survives. A new user is needed to stabilize and adaptively reuse the surviving structure. Location: East Fairmount Park 3502 Strawberry Mansion Bridge Drive Philadelphia, PA 19132 |
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