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Committee to Save Convention Hall fax bank
 We are asking our elected representatives and officials to join with us in standing up for Philadelphia's history as writ large in our Convention Hall at the former Philadelphia Civic Center. With their help, we can convince the University of Pennsylvania to step back from their plans to demolish Convention Hall upon completion of asbestos removal. We must not allow it to meet the same fate as the adjacent Commercial Museum, dating from the National Export Exposition of 1899, which Penn has almost finished demolishing. While we don't oppose Penn's goals of growing their health care and medical research facilities, the Committee to Save Convention Hall is asking that Penn take a pause from demolition to refresh their thinking with a better, more thorough study of alternatives to demolition and, most important, with public involvement in the process this time around. As home to a world renowned School of Design, with a major program in historic preservation, Penn should relish the challenges of doing right by Philadelphia's architectural and civic treasures, rather than taking an expedient, but tunnel-visioned, scorched earth approach to development. The Committee to Save Convention Hall cites the following overview of the significance, character, and value of the Convention Hall in asking that Penn consider all options for adaptive reuse. Convention Hall, designed by Philadelphia architect Philip H. Johnson and built from 1929 to 1931, has hosted five political conventions, including the nominations of Presidents Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 and Harry Truman in 1948 (a year in which three parties convened there), religious and human rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr., Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, and Rev. Billy Graham, cultural icons from The Beatles to the Mummers, the Philadelphia 76ers and Warriors basketball teams (including star Wilt Chamberlain), and the graduation ceremonies of a great number of our fellow citizens. On the subject of the historical significance of the buildings, Committee Co-Chair Mario Cimino notes that “The pageant of our collective history and culture has played out within those walls over the past century.“ Convention Hall is among Philadelphia's grandest examples of Art Deco architecture, a style of art and architecture which flourished in the first third of the 20th Century. It emphasizes the use of geometric patterns and simplified natural forms shapes and drew influence from a number of cultures including Aztec and Egyptian, using new materials to create a particularly striking modern style of design. Were the demolition of Convention Hall to go forward, the richness and diversity of Philadelphia's layers of history spanning over 300 years would be significantly diminished, irretrievably cheating us and future generations of our heritage. We and Penn have a civic duty to not allow that loss. Penn must step back and plan anew, this time in substantive, open collaboration with the citizens of Philadelphia. Your letter, submitted online to our fax bank, will reach two dozen elected officials. Please write today and ask our elected representatives to intercede with Penn. Thanks for your involvement! Jay "Jayfar" Farrell Yes, I want to write a letter urging our elected representatives to stand up for Convention Hall. About the Committee to Save Convention HallThe Committee to Save Convention Hall is a grassroots organization of concerned citizens organized to encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic Convention Hall located at 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard in the University City section of Philadelphia. The Committee encourages other concerned citizens to keep informed about this issue and get involved by visiting the following web site: There is now also an RSS feed of regular PhilaDeco.com update briefs. Add the PhilaDeco RSS feed to your My Yahoo page here. Related links:
Yes, I want to write a letter urging our elected representatives to stand up for Convention Hall. |
