Watch ONLINE via ZOOM from the safety and comfort of your home. A link with instructions will be provided at 3 pm on October 10, 2023. If you register past that time, the link will be included in the confirmation email. 

A replay link will be emailed to all registrants the Friday after the presentation.

The Powelton Village Historic District

presented by Kathy Dowdell

The Powelton Village Historic District, comprised of over 900 properties, was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in November 2022.  District nominations are not meant to be comprehensive neighborhood histories, and yet much social history must be understood to make sense of the development history, and vice versa.  This talk will look mainly at some of the early history of Powelton Village, and at the development forces that created the nineteenth-century neighborhood that we treasure today.  We’ll also briefly discuss the process of nominating and gaining approval for historic districts in Philadelphia.

Kathy Dowdell is the founding principal of Farragut Street Architects, a small firm specializing in the renovation, restoration and adaptive reuse of older buildings.  She has over 30 years of experience in architecture and historic preservation, giving her a strong understanding of planning, design, building rehabilitation, and construction.  Throughout her career, Kathy has undertaken a broad range of project types, providing her with a unique skill set in dealing with the many issues – and surprises – that one may encounter when working on and with older buildings.  Her firm led the team that created the nomination for Powelton Village. Kathy is a former board chair of the Preservation Alliance and an active member of its advocacy committee.

$15 | General Admission

$10 | Alliance Member 

Students with ID, residents of the neighborhoods being presented, or individuals with financial difficulties free with email to vcheng@preservationalliance.com