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October 22, 2013 | Elizabeth McGuire
West Chester, PA — Paul A. Rodebaugh (1941-2002) was remembered for his life’s work as a West Chester and Chester County historian at the Historic Preservation Awards Presentation Ceremony held this morning at the Chester County Historical Society.
“Paul Rodebaugh helped preserve West Chester’s historic fabric, thus helping to lay the foundation for West Chester’s revitalization. He provided long service as Chairman and member of the West Chester Historical and Architectural Review Board (HARB); was coordinator and guide for the West Chester Town Tour; was a long-standing guide for West Chester’s Old-Fashioned Christmas Walking Tour; and was dedicated to the dissemination of the history of the Borough,” according to remarks provided by Jane E. Dorchester, chair of the Historic Preservation Awards Committee to the West Chester Downtown Foundation.
- See images of the award winning projects by Timlyn Vaughan Photography.
Other awards were made to individuals and groups for their outstanding contributions to historic preservation in West Chester.
PRESERVATION SERVICE AWARD
Walking the East End: A Historic African-American Community in West Chester, Pennsylvania by Sarah Wesley and Catherine C. Quillman.
This book was chosen because it encourages its readers to seek out the historic resources associated with African-American history in West Chester and make the connection between the Borough’s history and its historic resources and because its wealth of information about the history of the East End provides an important window on West Chester’s African-American history.
BRICKS & MORTOR AWARDS
>> Lorgus House (500 W. Union St.) — This residential project was chosen because it illustrates how an owner’s carefully executed maintenance of a historic resource can have a significant impact both on the preservation of that resource and the preservation of West Chester’s historic character.
>> Hotel Warner (120 N. High St.) — A downtown commercial project chosen because it is a good example of how a development project that married the remains of an iconic historic resource (the Warner Theater) with compatible infill on a long vacant lot helps to preserve West Chester’s historic character.
>> David Townsend House (225 N. Matlack St.) — A very early home chosen because the modern additions made to the house, enhanced by the reconstruction of the south porch and the restoration of the main entrance, met the challenge of creating a six-bedroom house with an attached three-car garage without having a negative impact on the historic integrity of the house or its setting.
>> Jack’s Steaks Building (16 E. Gay St.) — A commercial structure chosen because the reconstruction of this building, most of which had collapsed due to neglect, using quality materials in a manner that respected the design and architectural elements of the original building, rescued this contributing resource to Gay Street’s historic streetscape from certain demolition.
>> Habitat for Humanity East End Project (E. Barnard, S. Bolmar, S. Poplar, S. Worthington Sts.) — A cluster of residentialchosen because this project successfully integrated into the East End neighborhood affordable new housing stock that is compatible with the historic fabric of the neighborhood and, therefore, respects its historic character.
The purpose of the preservation awards is to raise awareness of West Chester’s historic character and to encourage the preservation of its historic integrity. The awards are presented by the West Chester Downtown Foundation, the non-profit arm of the West Chester Business Improvement District. Nominations are for projects and properties located in the Borough of West Chester, Pennsylvania.
The West Chester Downtown Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of the sponsors of the 2013 Historic Preservation Awards.
Serpentine Sponsors:
VAN GROFSKI, LP
A. Roy Smith
Scott & Lori Uhl
Marble Sponsors:
Friend of the WCDF – Anonymous
Limestone Sponsors:
-Commissioner Kathi Cozzone
-DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc.
-Frens & Frens LLC Restoration Architects
-Jane Chalfant / Kiki Boutique
-Jane E. Dorchester – Architectural Historian
-Jim Jones
-Ernie and Sherry McNeely
-Philip Yocum Architect
-Susquehanna Bank
-Thomas Comitta Assoc., Inc.
-West Chester HARB
-William Wood Company
Brick Sponsors:
-Judith L. Fitzpatrick
-Fred Gusz
-Susan McGovern
-Ray Ott & Associates
-Swope Lees Commercial Real Estate, LLC
-Walter Hipple
In-Kind Sponsors:
