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Our Vision

ARCHITECTURE PRESERVATION

Balancing beneficial development with protection of significant resources

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy holds facade easements on 13 extraordinary buildings and has listed many more on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Both easements and City designation provide protection in perpetuity, benefiting the community forever.

We are working proactively on mapping and planning to identify preservation priorities as well as development opportunities. We review proposals for new projects that require a zoning variance. And we provide consultation on projects affecting the district’s thousands of historically significant structures.

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LAND CONSERVATION

Keeping Chestnut Hill green as the nation’s first urban accredited land trust

Easements, or donated development rights, are a powerful tool. Generous conservation-easement donations from homeowners ensure that vital natural lands will remain forever.

To date, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy has facilitated the permanent conservation of 130+ acres of open space in the Chestnut Hill area. Open space is essential for protecting the Wissahickon watershed, water quality, native flora and fauna, and the area’s matchless urban-village character.

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THE ARCHIVES

Providing for the discovery and care of community heritage

The Chestnut Hill and Wissahickon Archives hold the stories of Chestnut Hill. This comprehensive collection — 20,000+ architectural drawings, photos, maps, real estate atlases, deeds, diaries, and vast online resources — documents architectural and social history from the 1680s onward. We professionally manage the Archives and help the public to dig in.

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Turn to us, as well, for practical information on historic house preservation, rehabilitation, and maintenance. And learn about environmentally-sensitive landscaping exemplified in our award-winning Native Plant Garden.

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Mission Statement

The Chestnut Hill Conservancy is dedicated to preserving the historical, architectural, and cultural resources and the open spaces that define the character of Chestnut Hill and its environs.