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Revisiting a Better Philadelphia: 1947-2017

Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Time-Space Machine, part of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Time-Space Machine, part of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Primary entrance of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947, Gimbels Department Store. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Primary entrance of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947, Gimbels Department Store. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Installation view of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Installation view of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Installation view of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
Installation view of the Better Philadelphia exhibition, 1947. Photo by Ezra Stoller, published in Architectural Forum, reprinted as Philadelphia Plans Again, courtesy of The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia will develop a contemporary exhibition plan to restage the Philadelphia City Planning Commission's 1947 Better Philadelphia Exhibition—a pivotal historic project that helped define urban redevelopment in the region. The original exhibition was the brainchild of architect Oskar Stonorov and civic leader Walter Phillips, and was installed on two floors of the Gimbels department store in downtown Philadelphia. Drawing nearly 400,000 visitors in 1947, the exhibition promoted the work of the Planning Commission and the importance of urban planning, civic responsibility, and residential growth. Marking the 70th anniversary of the original staging, Revisiting a Better Philadelphia: 1947-2017 will ground the city's current period of economic redevelopment within a deeper historical context, while inviting dialogue about how to strengthen diverse community growth and preserve Philadelphia's architectural heritage.


*Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.*
Recipient
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia

Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is a membership-based, nonprofit organization that promotes the protection, importance, and appropriate use of historic buildings and urban landscapes in the region. Through advocacy, planning efforts, and community programming, the Preservation Alliance looks after and restores Philadelphia's historic built environment, with programs that support homeowners and community leaders. With Center support in 2012, the Preservation Alliance worked with the owners of the vacant John Coltrane House in North Philadelphia to plan a program strategy for the jazz great's former home. In 2016, the Preservation Alliance received Center support to plan a contemporary restaging of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission's 1947 Better Philadelphia Exhibition—a pivotal historic project that helped define the city's urban redevelopment.

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