Lorraine, Letitia, Lofts and Luminaries to be celebrated June 6th in Philadelphia

Philadelphia (March 2018) – The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Preservation Achievement Awards, including individuals, organizations, structures, and spaces that contribute to the Philadelphia region’s unique character. The Awards will be presented on the evening of June 6th with keynote speaker Stephanie K. Meeks, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“This year’s Grand Jury winners exhibit astonishing variety, from a nature center housed in the onetime home of John Audubon, to the conservation of the William Penn statue at City Hall, to the rehabilitation of a Victorian mansion for a corporate headquarters in Moorestown, NJ,” said Paul Steinke, Alliance Executive Director, “demonstrating the breadth of preservation efforts in the City and throughout the region.”

Awards will be presented in two categories: Grand Jury Awards for historic building projects that have been restored or renovated in an exemplary way; and Special Recognition Awards for people and organizations that champion preservation. The most prestigious Special Recognition honor is the James Biddle Award for lifetime achievement.

Special Recognition Awards

This year’s James Biddle Award goes to Jeffrey A. Cohen, Ph.D., revered Professor of Architectural History in the department of Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College.

“For decades, Jeff has been a nationally-recognized leader in historic preservation training and instruction, research, and writing. This region has benefitted greatly from his tireless community work — particularly his longtime service for the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s Committee on Historic Designation,” said Steinke.

In addition to the Biddle, Special Recognition Awards will be presented to prominent architectural conservator John Carr; the Philadelphia Archaeological Forum; and the producers of the film The King’s Highway, among others. The Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance Award will go to Kaitlin Pomerantz and Marisa Williamson for their Monument Lab installations On the Threshold (Salvaged Stoops, Philadelphia) and Sweet Chariot: The Long Journal to Freedom Through Time. See the complete list here. The Special Recognition Award winners are selected by a panel of esteemed preservationists from the Philadelphia region.

Grand Jury Awards

Twenty-one exemplary projects will be honored this year, including the restoration of public sculpture; adaptive reuse of a derelict bank, chapel and factory; and renovation of historic apartments, academic buildings and private homes.

The iconic Divine Lorraine Hotel is among the most prominent of the Grand Jury Award winners. Standing vacant for over a decade, this once-decaying 1890s landmark on North Broad Street was transformed by EB Realty Management Corp into an elegant apartment tower that supports the continued revitalization of one of Philadelphia’s major commercial corridors.

Other winners include the restoration of Longwood Gardens’ Main Fountain, the 80-year-old historic heart of one of the world’s most celebrated public gardens; the rehabilitation of East Falls’ Alden Park, a massive project involving six high-rise towers from the 1920s with over 700 apartments; the conservation of “Pegasus,” one of the few remaining vestiges of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition; and the creation of the Kline Institute of Trial Advocacy, housed in a 1918 Center City former bank headquarters designed by Horace Trumbauer. See the complete list here. The Grand Jury Award winners were selected by a Princeton-based panel of preservation architects and historians.

Awards Event

The 25th Annual Preservation Achievement Awards will take place on Wednesday June 6th, from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The location is Vie at 600 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia. The awards ceremony will be followed by a lavish cocktail reception including open bar. Free valet parking will be available. Vie is located two blocks from the Spring Garden Street Station on the Broad Street Line.

The annual Achievement Awards celebration is the largest gathering of preservationists in the region, with more than 500 guests expected.

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia actively promotes the appreciation, protection, and revitalization of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities, and landscapes. A 501c3 non-profit membership organization, the Alliance leads in setting the agenda for preservation issues of regional importance and advocates strong public preservation policies. Visit www.preservationalliance.com.