In 2025, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy continued to connect the community with history, stewardship, and storytelling while advancing preservation, conservation, archives, and advocacy work across Northwest Philadelphia and the lower Wissahickon watershed. The year marked an important moment of transition and planning. The Conservancy released its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan following a year-long, community-informed process and welcomed David Gest as Executive Director and Bill Webster as Board President at the start of the year.

The Strategic Plan reinforced the Conservancy’s mission, which continues to guide its programs and public work: “The Chestnut Hill Conservancy conserves, preserves, and celebrates history, architecture, and landscapes in Chestnut Hill and the lower Wissahickon watershed through inclusive and proactive community engagement, advocacy, and stewardship.”

At the Conservancy’s 2025 Annual Meeting, members elected Ashley Douglas, James McNabb, Daniel Preston, and James Rice to the Board of Directors. Later in the year, the Conservancy welcomed three additional board members: Karren DeSeve, Andrew Moroz, and Henry Trapnell.

The Conservancy’s archives and public history work also advanced in 2025 with support tied to improvements at the headquarters and archival needs. The pilot exhibit Mapping the Wissahickon: From the Colonial Era to an Evolving Watershed — the first exhibit at the headquarters in a decade—welcomed visitors to 8708 Germantown Ave. and highlighted materials from the Conservancy’s collections alongside items on loan from partners including Bowman Properties LLC and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Redesign work for the Conservancy’s headquarters is supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant, a program funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Preservation and advocacy remained central throughout 2025. The Conservancy participated in regional conversations shaping preservation and planning in Northwest Philadelphia, including work related to “by-right” development and its impact on the Chestnut Hill National Register Historic District. The Conservancy issued multiple Advocacy Alerts during the year, including those related to proposed cell phone towers and Philadelphia City Council legislation, such as Bill 251030.

The Conservancy also continued project reviews and community support related to improved preservation outcomes, including ongoing work on the former Germantown Trust Company building at 8527 Germantown Ave. After the property’s historic designation by the Conservancy in 2024, the building’s owner, PTBK LLC, informed the Conservancy that the interior might be entirely replaced as part of a modern bank renovation by a new tenant, J.P. Morgan Chase. Conservancy staff and board members met with PTBK LLC and Chase to explain the significance of the building’s historic interior fabric. Through a series of conversations and site visits, the parties developed a shared appreciation for the building’s history, leading to an agreement to preserve key historic interior features, including a 1928 mural.

The Conservancy protects more than 105 acres through 52 conservation easements and conducted annual monitoring visits across those properties in 2025, meeting with owners as part of ongoing stewardship. The Conservancy also convened eased property owners for peer discussions and shared learning on easement stewardship, including conversations on the challenges of urban conservation. In addition, the Conservancy participated in partnership work at Wissahickon East, including Love Your Park Day and collaboration with Friends of the Cresheim Trail and the Philadelphia Water Department related to infrastructure improvements adjacent to an eased property.

Public programs remained a key driver of community engagement and continued to be shaped by direct feedback. In April, the Conservancy hosted a Community Voices program-planning session at the Venetian Social Club. Input gathered there helped guide fall program choices, most notably Preserving Voices: An Introduction to Oral Histories and Community Storytelling, a top community request for the Ask the Experts series. That program is now available on the Conservancy’s YouTube channel. Program staff and the Program Committee continue to use community feedback, alongside the Strategic Plan, to guide program development, including as the organization looks toward the semiquincentennial and beyond!

The Discovering series offered both on-the-ground exploration and deeper architectural context in 2025, including walking tours in Chestnut Hill and Germantown, as well as two book-centered conversations. These included a spring program with garden historian Nicole Juday on Private Gardens of Philadelphia, and a November program, Discovering: The Last Notebook, co-presented with docomomo-US/Greater Philadelphia, featuring Sue Ann Kahn and architectural historian William Whitaker.

In October, the Conservancy hosted its eighth Night of Lights. Opening night began with a “Flip the Switch” ceremony at the Conservancy’s headquarters, with over 100 community members and supporters. The program expanded partnerships with local organizations and featured a collaborative slideshow created with six businesses along Germantown Avenue in Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill—a first for the event!

Looking ahead, the Conservancy will continue to build on the momentum of 2025 through advocacy, community engagement, archives, and public programs, guided by the Strategic Plan. The Annual Meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy will include additional program announcements, including dates for Night of Lights 2026. Planned 2026 Discovering programs include topics such as Pastorius Park (Feb. 11 and May 9). A spring Ask the Experts program is also planned: Preservation and Conservation in Philadelphia—Understanding and Navigating Tools for Community Advocacy.

As 2026 begins, the Conservancy will continue aligning its work with community input and shared stewardship, supported by its staff, members, volunteers, sponsors, Board, and partners.