During its most recent meeting in October, the Philadelphia Historical Commission designated six new buildings to the local Register of Historic Places, writes Kimberly Haas for Hidden City.

The first designation nomination was for the Hollinger Building in Center City. It satisfies three criteria — its distinctive architectural style, its representative commercial building, and that it’s representative of and related to the cultural, economic, and social heritage of Walnut Street’s redevelopment and transition from residential to commercial.

The remaining five designations are all residential properties.

They are the Dr. Oscar James Cooper House at 1621 Jefferson Street; the building at 307 South Chadwick Street in Center City; two adjacent properties at 4837 and 4839 Germantown Avenue; and two separate parcels at 150 and 160 W. Washington Lane in Germantown, which were nominated based on their history as the home of prominent Quaker businessman Charles Jenkins and his wife, Maria Cope Jenkins.

The interconnected buildings at 208-12 Vine Street, which had been added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places and were named as contributing assets to the Old City Historic District, were proposed for demolition.

Piers 38 and 40 in South Philadelphia were continued to the March 2024 Committee on Historic Designation meeting. 

Read more about Philadelphia’s newest designations and demolitions in Hidden City.

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