Philadelphia, PA

From CitizensVoice.com, Tuesday, June 2, 2009 Pennsylvanians care about history, don’t cut back on historic sites Pennsylvania faces serious economic challenges this year and funding for some of the state’s most cherished and important programs faces severe reductions or elimination. As chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, I understand the need for reduced spending, but I also know that the Pennsylvania we value will not be sustainable beyond this immediate crisis if adequate support for its historic sites, museums, markers, collections and archives is not continued. The historic places that draw millions of tourists each year to the state were preserved with the foresight of others and we now see that legacy threatened for future generations. As a response to the governor’s proposed budget, the commission has been working with community groups at six of our state-operated historic sites to find new models that would allow educational programs and public access to continue despite reduced state support. At public meetings across the state from Erie to Chadds Ford, we have heard the passion that Pennsylvanians have for their history. Ordinary citizens have shared personal connections, reasons to live in a community, educational experiences, economic benefits of tourism, sense of community and pride in being a Pennsylvanian — all focused around the importance of history to their lives. The additional cuts proposed in Senate Bill 850 would require elimination or further cutbacks in almost all PHMC programs — shut down of all historic sites, reduced hours at the state museum and state archives, suspension of the historical marker program, elimination of all grants to museums, historical societies and preservation projects, deferred maintenance of irreplaceable national treasures. The letters, testimony, and petitions that the commission has received in response to initial proposals for reduced programming at six sites shows that Pennsylvanians do care deeply about their heritage. In the 2008 Penn State Poll, when asked if public funds should be used to preserve, protect and interpret the commonwealth’s heritage for the education and enjoyment of its citizens and visitors, 91.3 percent of respondents agreed. One meeting attendee a few days ago expressed how it made him ashamed to be a resident of Pennsylvania when the state is unwilling to preserve and support the national historical treasures that we hold in trust for future generations. Wayne Spilove Chairman Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Harrisburg

Profile | For more than thirty-five years, Wayne Spilove has enjoyed a diverse and prosperous career in real estate, and has been an active civic leader in the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  His successes, the results of cost effective property development and innovative management, have earned him high regard and recognition throughout the city. 

Expertise | For many years Wayne Spilove has been active in both public and community affairs and has been appointed to numerous public posts at the city and Commonwealth level. He has conducted major transactions with many top lending institutions, law firms, non-profit organizations, investors and other property owners. 

Spilove's current principal holdings and management activities cover a wide range of high-rise apartment buildings within the heart of Rittenhouse Square, plus additional noteworthy or historic buildings throughout Center City. 

Company Profile | Rittenhouse Management Corporation manages quality high rise apartment buildings and brownstones in the premier Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Founded in the early 80’s by Wayne Spilove, the company has an extensive portfolio of some of the finest residential and historical buildings in Philadelphia.

Public Affairs & Committees
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC , Chairman, Philadelphia, PA

• Serving pro bono for PHMC, the Commonwealth's official history agency, since April 2003

• Appointed by Governor Edward G. Rendell and elected as Chairman after a unanimous confirmation in the state Senate

• Responsible for the stewardship of the Commonwealth's 25 museums and the Commonwealth's Archives which comprise 44 properties, 2,000 acres of land and 450 employees

Pennsylvania Arts & Heritage Committee, Co-Chairman, Philadelphia, PA

• Recently created committee consists of 14 leaders from the Commonwealth's cultural organizations and three largest philanthropic foundations

• Assist in creating synergies and increase coordination among Pennsylvania's arts and heritage resources and the agencies -- both public and private -- which support and serve them

• Serves as an information resource as well as an advisor to the Governor on relevant issues which impact the Commonwealth's historical and cultural institutions and initiatives

• Jointly sponsors research, planning, action and policy initiatives that can increase the impact and leveraging power of Pennsylvania's investments in the arts, heritage and cultural economy

American Revolution Center at Valley Forge,  Advisor, Valley Forge, PA

• Establishing the world's first center to commemorate the American Revolution

Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation, Governor's Representative, Gettysburg, PA

• Foundation working in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve the heritage and enhance the appreciation of Gettysburg in American History

 Philadelphia Historical Commission, Chairman, Philadelphia, PA

• Responsible for preservation oversight of approximately 13,000 architecturally significant properties in one of the most historical cities in the United States -- including several of the buildings at Independence National Historical Park

• Commission's most significant accomplishments occurred during Spilove's tenure as Chairman from 1992-2001

 Historic Philadelphia, Inc. and Once Upon A Nation, Chairman, Philadelphia, PA

Big Picture Alliance, Board of Directors, Philadelphia, PA

Friends of Independence National Park, Board of Directors, Philadelphia, PA

Friends of Rittenhouse Square, Board of Directors, Philadelphia, PA

Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Shareholder, Philadelphia, PA

Achievements

• 15th Annual Preservation Achievements Award- Grand Jury Award for the Renovation of 1906 Spruce Street

• Designation & protection of three Philadelphia neighborhoods

• Protection of Tiffany Glass "Dream Garden" Mural

• Preservation & restoration of Philadelphia's City Hall

• Preservation & enhancement of Reading Terminal Market

• Preservation & reuse of Ridgeway Library

• Preservation of Victory Building

• Preservation of Independence Hall