Wayne Spilove - Preserving Philadelphia History

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

From the Philadelphia Inquirer,
May 10, 2009

Public deserves to see these murals

I was dismayed to learn of the U.S. Postal Service's refusal to allow staff from the State Museum of Pennsylvania to see the wonderful murals by Moses and Raphael Soyer currently hanging in USPS offices on Chestnut Street ("Push for public access to New Deal murals," April 27).

The Treasury Department's mural program was one of the more visually enduring legacies of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.

We do hope that the USPS continues to respect the original intent of this program: making these paintings as broadly accessible as possible.

Wayne Spilove
Chairman
Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission
Harrisburg

15th Annual Preservation Awards- Grand Jury Award

1906 Spruce Street

Wayne Spilove:: Preservation Achievement Award-winning 1906 Spruce Street When developer Wayne Spilove decided to make improvements to his property at 1906 Spruce Street and convert some of its apartments to condominiums, he chose to also restore the property's historical 19th-sentury appearance, which had been "radically modernized." The ornate brownstone entry and original window sash had been removed circa 1960, and much of the architectural ornament broken off and replaced with a flat modernist facade of polished granite panels and aluminum ribbon windows.

Project architects Campbell Thomas & Co. found photos at the Philadelphia City Archives of 1906 Spruce Street before the modernist alterations. Working primarily with these photographs and what could be discerned from the remnants of the damaged brownstone and existing masonry detailing that remained, CTC created a new facade elevation within the constraints of the modified, street-level entry location, that restores much of the original detailing of the magnificent 19th-Century facade.

The entire first level of the facade had to be reconstructed without disturbing the upper three floors of the masonry facade. Great care was taken to find replacement brick that closely matched the existing brick on the upper floors, as well as cut-stone to match the existing trim. The sandstone used to recreate the first floor facade trim came from Ontario. Other restoration work included a custom mahogany front entry door, side-lights, and transom; reproduction wooden window sash; repairs to the upper-floor masonry; and a historically appropriate paint scheme.

As the job progressed, CTC's scope of work was increased to include development of a design treatment for the first level of the interior lobby. CTC developed a treatment for the first level of the interior lobby that, while somewhat more contemporary, incorporates such traditional elements as an oak stair with wood rail and balusters, and a wood panel wainscot.

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