Modern Alliances Save Historic Properties |
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Advocates from the worlds of preservation, restoration and conservation
find they can—and must—work together. By Stephanie Hoover Bucks County is home of eight historic landmarks as designated by the National Park Service. Its residences include many pre-dating the American Revolution, including the original estate of William Penn. A survey of Richland Township alone reveals three potential historic districts, 22 historic resources eligible for inclusion on the National Register, and 162 properties holding some historic significance. And yet, there is worry that modern families and business may allow the tug of economic pressures and the lure of convenience to overshadow the need to protect this history—perhaps even allow its destruction in the seemingly never-ending march toward development. Individuals, preservation-minded companies, local townships, state agencies and a vast and growing list of restoration and conservancy groups hope to remind residents of Bucks and surrounding counties that the past is worth saving, and that the old and new are not necessarily mutually exclusive. While not all participants share the same priorities (for instance, farmland preservationists are not necessarily interested in saving or restoring farmhouses or outbuildings) they all agree that a teamwork approach offers the best chance of success if any are to achieve their goals.  King’s Oaks756 Worthington Mill Rd. Newtown, PA, Wrightstown Township Established around 1719. The 100th farm protected from development since Bucks County’s farmland preservation program began in 1989. The farm, which dates back to William Penn, was originally three separate parcels. Dana Stott Cohen, the proprietor of King’s Oaks, and her husband Dr. Neil Cohen, were originally married in a chapel on the farm and now raise their two boys there. On September 20th, 2006, the Bucks County Commissioners made King’s Oaks the fi rst farm to be preserved in Wrightstown. The county’s share of the costs totals to $21.3 million, a price worth paying to preserve such a historically rich landmark.
The Lazaretto Building
Tara Cubie is the historic preservation coordinator for the Lower
Merion Conservancy and admits that her organization has been spending
a great deal of its time on this issue. But she feels that this disagreement
is partially fueled by a misconception about historic designations.
“Class 2 buildings are significant but aren’t in a historic district, or on
the National Register,” she explains. With a Class 1 designation, however,
Lower Merion Township has the right to deny demolition and control
changes made to the structure’s façade. Rather than a negative restriction,
Cubie explains that there are many positives to a Class 1 designation.
For instance, professionals on the historic review board offer input and
recommendations for free—advice that might otherwise be prohibitively
expensive for the average homeowner.Wanamaker Avenue at 2nd Street Essington, PA Established in 1799. During the years of private ownership, the historic Lazaretto was allowed to deteriorate to the point that plans were drawn for its demolition to make way for commercial development. A quarantine station, referred by some as the Ellis Island of Pennsylvania, in Tinicum Township, that early immigrants passed through. For more information on how you can help support the Lazaretto, please visit their website at www. ushistory.org/laz or contact Richard Linderman, AIA, at 610-874-5101 or dick@linderman.netdick@linderman.net.
Aldie Mansion
For every owner that fights historic protection efforts, there seem to
be a multitude of parties begging for it. In 2001 Helen Mitchell joined
the fight to save a small Plumstead Township, Bucks County house
slated for demolition by the water authorities that owned it. Supporters
of the project suffered several false positives as buyer after buyer
deemed the effort too costly. From its exterior one would have been
hard-pressed to understand the affection the structure engendered. It
was hardly extravagant and its interior clearly demonstrated a decade
of abandonment. But the house held a secret: purchased as a Sears kit
house named the Verona it had been erected in Point Pleasant in 1926.
These homes, assembled via plans and numbered pieces, are now true
Americana. So Mitchell purchased the house and, using the kit concept in
reverse, she de-constructed it, stored it on her property on Gayman Road,
then re-constructed it using the original plans. Mitchell acknowledged
in the Doylestown Intelligencer that without the help of neighbors, the
township and the water authorities she could not have saved the house.
85 Old Dublin Pike Doylestown, PA Established in 1927. Aldie Mansion was originally a beloved private residence commissioned by William and Martha Mercer as an ode to the English Tudor manor. The craftsmanship of the mansion is a true art form, with gargoyles, intricate brickwork, antique tiles, vintage leaded glass and charming garden ornaments. For more information on how you can help support the Aldie Mansion, please visit their website at www.aldiemansion.com or call (215) 348-3509. 
While the Sears house is a tremendous success story, rarely are projects that singular in nature. The more complex the effort the larger the support network required. Municipal intervention, when thrown into the mix of conservation and preservation, is often critical. The Pine Tree Farm Bed & Breakfast benefited from such intervention in 2004. Built in 1730, it is one of the oldest houses in Doylestown Township, Bucks County. When it went on the market in 1999 existing township ordinances allowed for the house to be demolished and up to 16 homes to be constructed. A compromise zoning change, however, provided for the preservation of the structure while limiting construction to a more respectful use of the surrounding green space. Mary Lou McFarland, president of The Conservancy of Montgomery County (www.conservemontco.org), wishes more townships would take this sort of proactive step. “Of our 62 municipalities only seven have historic preservation ordinances,” she says. 
For Randy Cotton and other preservation advocates the answer to
many development issues is “smart growth.” This approach “…redirects
suburban sprawl while building older communities up again,” he explains.
For example, rather than dismantling historic downtown districts, new
communities can be directed toward the edges of the city limits where
the existing infrastructure can be utilized thereby eliminating new tax
burdens. It is an arrangement by which the interests of residents, local
governments, developers and preservationists intersect positively.
As with any movement, preservation and conservation professionals believe that education is a key to success. Some organizations, such as the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, spend a great deal of time mentoring grass roots organizations. These include historical societies and citizens groups which may be well-meaning but not necessarily well-equipped. For the Conservancy of Montgomery County the emphasis is on educating members of the community about the need for preservation so that they in turn involve themselves in the effort.  Pennsbury Manor400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd. Morrisville, PA 19067 Established in 1683. Through neglect, Pennsbury’s main buildings collapsed and the estate degenerated into ruin after Penn’s death. In 1792 Penn’s descendants sold the land and a succession of owners purchased it over the intervening years. By 1929 no trace of Pennsbury survived above ground and nineteenth century buildings covered the original foundations. Pennsbury Manor is the personal estate of William Penn, America’s foremost Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania, statesman and diplomat. For more information on how you can help support Pennsbury Manor, please visit their website at www.pennsburymanor.org or call (215) 946-0400. No matter how hard they work advocates of historical preservation and open space conservation will never overcome the desire many have to build their own home. “Newcomers want to live here,” says Cubie of Lower Merion, “but they want new houses. There’s no land [on which to build] so they must tear down existing structures.” The ultimate wish for preservationists is that the public at large will recognize the historical value of their own communities. “This is not just a job for us,” McFarland says, speaking for colleagues. “We all feel strongly about what we’re doing. We need people to realize that when historic properties are lost, there is a void in the history and uniqueness of the places where they live.” Stephanie Hoover is a Pennsylvania researcher and writer who can be contacted via her web site, HomeHistories.com. |
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