What’s your favorite treasured place in Chestnut Hill?
The Chestnut Hill Architectural Hall of Fame is a prestigious list of the community’s most cherished and significant buildings, structures, and landscapes selected by the public. These properties stand out for their innovative approaches to planning and design, exceptional materials and craftsmanship, or exemplary representations of their style. Some are also of historical importance due to their association with an event, a person, or simply their age.
This year’s finalists will be announced on Thursday, October 3, and public voting will begin at this year’s Night of Lights.
The 2024 winners will join the 30 esteemed Chestnut Hill Hall of Fame inductees.
2024 Architectural Hall of Fame Finalists
Residential Nominees
8840 Germantown Avenue, Rex HouseÂ
(ca. 1750, 1801, 1920; Jacob Scheetz, carpenter)
This circa 1910 image from a postcard shows the Rex House, the origins of which are unclear; it is reputed that a portion of the house was built circa 1750 by a member of the family. If correct, this Federal-style house is one of the earliest buildings still standing on Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.
A descendent of the Rex family, carpenter Jacob Scheetz, built a front addition in 1801. Ideally located for doctors working at Chestnut Hill Hospital, the house had several subsequent owners and was restored in 1952.
East Benezet Street Twins, Unit Block Worker Housing
(1817, 1909-10; Duhring, Okie & Ziegler; Duhring)
One of Dr. George Woodward’s earlier developments was built on the unit block of Benezet Street and consisted of a series of twin houses designed in different styles by Duhring, Okie & Ziegler; these were completed in 1909-1910. According to his book, Memoirs, Woodward had intended the houses “”to be rented to working people… at low rentals. However, the new houses proved attractive to members of the middle class, and they quickly leased them. It should be noted that the twin house at 14-16 Benezet Street has a much deeper history, having its origins as a barn built in 1817 by Melchior Newman, who owned a house at 7921 Germantown Avenue. Dr. Woodward engaged H. Louis Duhring to design its conversion into a twin.
8003 Navajo Street
(1924; Robert Rodes McGoodwin, Architect)
This Cotswold-style stone house was designed by Robert R. McGoodwin and built for developer Dr. George Woodward in 1924. Happy birthday! The house is one of several on the block built by Woodward, and their designs were likely influenced by a trip the Woodwards took to England in the summer of 1914. The houses on this block of Navajo Street and on other streets nearby were situated to take advantage of Woodward’s newly-created, still treasured Pastorius Park. This was the home of Philip Price Jr., former state senator, Fairmount Park commissioner, attorney, and community service executive.”
717 Glengarry Road, Dorothy Shipley White House
(1963; Romaldo Guirgola, Architect)
Designed in the International Style by Romaldo Guirgola, the house at 717 Glengarry Road was built in 1963 for Dorothy Shipley White, who was recently widowed at the time. White wanted “a small house with a large sense of space.” The result was a modern house with three cubic spaces oriented around a two-story center hall. As Giurgola taught at the University of Pennsylvania with Louis Kahn, Robert Venturi, and other members of the “”Philadelphia School, Giurgola was influenced by them and the design of the house reflects these influences. After years of neglect, the home was listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places by a coalition led by the Chestnut Hill Conservancy including DoCoMoMo, MGA (the successor firm to Giurgola’s), and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. A new owner is now rehabilitating and sensitively expanding the building, following guidance by the Conservancy and the Philadelphia Historical Commission.
Casey Ice House (aka Willets Studio)
7900-06 Lincoln Drive aka 225 W Springfield Avenue (1843; alterations in 1913, 1924, H. Louis Duhring)
H. Louis Duhring, architect, in 1913 and again in 1924, converted the icehouse into three dwellings and gave the building its present Mediterranean influenced appearance. Duhring designed alterations again in 1925 and 1933. William Henry Parker, designed the attached garage and several alterations in 1940. Kneedler, Mirick & Zantzinger, architects, designed additional alterations in 1959. One of the most prominent examples of adaptive reuse in Chestnut Hill, Dr. Woodward originally had the ice house building converted into a dwelling and workspace for Henry Willet of Willet Stained Glass Studies in 1913 and after Willet outgrew the space, cut the workshop into two more living spaces.
Lorenzon House
7827 Ardleigh Street (1926, H. Louis Duhring, Emil Lorenzon)
In 1926 Emil Lorenzon built this house for his family. Emilio was one of five Lorenzon brothers who came to Chestnut Hill in 1896-1906 from the northern Italian town of Poffabro. The brothers, like many in Poffabro, had been trained by their father as skilled stonemasons. The Lorenzon family was among the most prominent of the Italian stonemasons during one of Chestnut Hill’s greatest periods of growth, and the family remains involved in the building trades to this day. This home is a beautiful example of their care and craftsmanship. The lush produce garden originally tended by Emil’s widowed mother was replaced in 1932 by a widened Springfield Avenue.
Institutional Nominees
8700 Germantown Avenue, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Seventh-day Adventist Church
(1852-3; John Notman, Architect)
Designed by John Notman, the current home of the Seventh-day Adventist Church [SDaC] was built as the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in 1852-1853, with its parsonage- now the home of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy- being built five years later. Upon the completion of its new sanctuary in 1950, the Presbyterian Church moved out of its then 100 year-old home and into that adjacent to Chestnut Hill Hospital. The SdAC then moved into 8700 Germantown Avenue; it removed the original church spire in the mid-1960s and has occupied the building to the present day.
156-186 Bethlehem Pike, the Eldon Hotel, Fairview Nursing and Rehab Center
(ca. 1860, 1884, 1945)
Joseph Eastburn Mitchell – also once the owner of Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s building – built his Gothic residential villa on a knoll overlooking Whitemarsh Valley. In 1884, George Simpson converted the property into his Eldon Hotel and boarding house, one of three resort hotels catering to summer vacationers. Simpson added a new wing, which which is the middle part of the present complex. The Eldon operated as a hotel until 1910, when it was converted into the Kenwood mental sanitorium. In 1945, the property became the Fairview Nursing Home.
John Story Jenks School, 8301 Germantown Ave
(1922-3, 1968; Irwin Catherine)
Named after local resident John Story Jenks, the Jenks School has its roots in the Harmony School, founded in 1794 as Chestnut Hill’s first public school. After several relocations, the school found a more permanent location at 212 West Highland Avenue and renamed the Josephus C. Gilbert School. In 1924, after the closure of the Gilbert School, the Jenks School opened and received its students. Designed by Irwin T. Catharine and built by Cramp & Company in 1922-1923, the school and its retaining walls have been local landmarks for over 100 years, with a Day and Zimmerman-designed addition built in 1968.
Our Mother Of Consolation (OMC) Complex
7-27 East Chestnut Hill Avenue (1855-1916, Edwin Durang, John J. Kennedy)
In 1854, John Middleton, a wealthy Quaker who had recently converted to Catholicism, determined that Chestnut Hill should have a Catholic church. At that time, many of the community’s house staff were recent immigrants from Ireland and other Catholic countries. Amidst considerable anti-Catholic opposition from some in the community, in 1855 Bishop Neumann blessed the new church and rectory, officially named St. Mary’s. In the late 1860’s, the parish changed its name from St. Mary’s to St. Mary – Our Lady of Consolation, which evolved to Our Mother of Consolation in the late 1870’s. A new parish hall and school were completed in 1888, and a larger more modern rectory and school were built in 1904 (Edwin Durang, architect) and 1916 (John J. Kennedy, architect), respectively. The school suffered a devastating fire on March 21, 2023 that took the roof but left much of the stone structure. Although the installation of a Catholic church almost produced a riot 160 years ago, it – like the fire-damaged school building – remains a strong force in the community
VFW Post #5205
8217 Germantown Avenue (1859)
Built in 1859, 8217-19 Germantown Avenue’s original primary tenant was Hiram Lodge No. 81, Free and Accepted Masons, which occupied the third floor. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church used the second floor for worship services until they opened their own church at 8300 Germantown in 1871, and a grocery store occupied the first floor. With membership high, including veterans of both World Wars, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5205 raised enough money to purchase the building in 1950. By 1966, the VFW planned to remove the building’s third floor to address deteriorating stucco, woodwork and roof conditions. These plans changed when community activist Ann Spaeth published a letter in the Chestnut Hill Local, resulting in substantial funding raised through public contributions toward the building’s restoration. The restoration of the building played a critical role in the formation of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society (now the Chestnut Hill Conservancy) in 1967. The VFW substantially renovated the building in a campaign that began in 2018.
Commercial Nominees
45 E Chestnut Hill Avenue, Blum’s Antiques
(ca. 1870; Charles Taylor, Builder)
Originally built as a barn-like structure by Charles Taylor circa 1870, this was converted into a storefront by 1925 when 43 was converted from a store into a garage and later back to a store. In the late 1950s, Jack-in-the-Box Antique Store opened, followed by Chestnut Hill Antiques and Gifts in 1961. Current proprietor Barry Blum is the 3rd generation to run the now-90-year-old business, which specializes in “quality 18th & early 19th century American and European antiques.
311 W Springfield Avenue, St. Martins station
(1884, 1889; Washington Bleddyn Powell)
Designed by the architect of the Chestnut Hill West and other stations on the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) line. Initially named Wissahickon Heights and built as a 1-story structure in 1884, a 2nd-fl station master’s apartment was added in 1889. With many PRR stations suffering from neglect, concerned community members established the St. Martins Station [and Grounds] Committee in 1962, which still tirelessly works to maintain the station and grounds.
8532 Germantown Ave, Streeper’s Pharmacy
(1892, attributed to George Pearson)
Built for pharmacist Frank P. Streeper, the design of this Tudor building has been attributed to George T. Pearson. Drug stores occupied the site for the next 100 years; after Streeper’s Drug Store (also an afterschool hangout for local school children) it was the home of the Battin & Lunger Pharmacy until 1991. Later occupied by J. E. Caldwell Company and O’Doodles, it now houses J.D. Susanin’s Palladio, a custom framing and interior design firm.
Mermaid Inn
7673 Germantown Avenue aka 7671-7673 Winston Road (1913, Koeller and Speth)
The early history of this local landmark is quite murky; the original Inn is believed to have been built in 1734 and would have been an important stop for weary travelers making the trek between the City of Philadelphia and cities to the north and west, including Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, and Reading. It appears to have remained largely unaltered until Winston Road was opened. This required the demolition of the original inn, and its reconstruction in 1913 at a new location just northeast of the original site. The new version of the Inn was designed by Koeller and Speth, and it has been suggested that elements of the original Inn were incorporated into the new building.
Germantown Trust Company (aka Wells Fargo Bank)
8527 Germantown Avenue (1928, Arthur H. Brockie)
Germantown Trust Company’s Chestnut Hill Branch relocated in 1928 to its newly constructed building at 8527 Germantown Avenue at Evergreen Avenue. This was the site where Gilles Oyster, Game, and Fish Market formerly stood. Architect Arthur H. Brockie designed this building, as well as the Chestnut Hill Title & Trust Company (now PNC), the Germantown Trust Building in Germantown, several notable Chestnut Hill residences, and many other buildings in Philadelphia. The bank was most recently used as the Chestnut Hill Branch for Wells Fargo Bank, and before that held the First Pennsylvania Banking and Trust Company aka CoreStates Bank. This building was altered in 1959, 1972, and more recently when Wells Fargo installed a concrete entrance ramp one dark October evening in 2017. Approaching its 100th anniversary, the building was vacated in 2023 and is now for sale.
Valley Green Inn
7 Valley Green Road at Wissahickon Creek (ca. 1850, 1937)
Circa 1850, Thomas Livezey rented Edward Rinker the site of what is now Valley Green Inn, to build his Valley Green Hotel. At Rinker’s hotel, a traditional dinner of catfish and waffles was served, as was customary in other hotels along the Wissahickon Creek in the 19th century. With the growing city and industrialization, the City realized its water supply needed protecting, and many structures along the Creek were demolished, with the vacant land being incorporated into Fairmount Park. As the 19th century progressed, the building languished and its demolition was considered. Locals including Charles W. Henry and others fundraised, and raised over $1200 for its restoration. This was completed in 1901, and the old hotel became known as the Valley Green Inn. Additional restorations were made in the mid-1930s with the help of the Friends of the Wissahickon, and the Inn was rededicated in 1937. Since then, the Inn has been run with the support of the Friends of the Wissahickon. The artifacts displayed throughout the Inn have been cataloged by the Curator and Archivist of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy.
Voting
Which properties should join the Chestnut Hill Architectural Hall of Fame?
Use this QR code to vote now through November 15! You may choose one from each of the categories of Residential, Institutional, and Commercial/Public. One ballot per person!
When will winners join the Hall of Fame?
The 2024 inductees will be announced at the inaugural Preservation Party on Tuesday, December 3, held at the Venetian Club (8031 Germantown Avenue). Tickets for the Preservation Party, which will also include the Preservation Recognition Awards, are available now at CHConservancy.org.