Discovering Chestnut Hill

By Alex BartlettArchivist, Chestnut Hill Conservancy The citizens of the United States have now suffered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for approximately two months. Since then, we have been practicing social distancing and working from home whenever possible. Of course, this has led to a case of cabin fever for many. Those projects […]

By Alex Bartlett Archivist, Chestnut Hill Conservancy This week, the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Its origins were in response to a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, on January 28, 1969. Exactly one year later, Environmental Rights Day was held in Santa Barbara, and plans for the […]

by Alex Bartlett, ArchivistChestnut Hill Conservancy Forty-two years ago, the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment opened its doors as the Chestnut Hill Senior Center and remained a vibrant community resource until it closed in 2017. Founded in 1978, the organization was first located at Disston Hall/the Disston House at 8840 Norwood Avenue. A press release […]

By Shirley Hanson You may know the property in Springfield Township as “The English Village.”  It is a 4-1/2 acre portion of what was a 31-acre estate called “Lane’s End.”  “Lane’s End” was developed in the mid-1920’s by Samuel and Allethaire Rotan with Robert McGoodwin as the architect. In 1945, Louise Elkins Sinkler and her […]

by Alex Bartlett The year 2019 has been a particular busy one for the Chestnut Hill Conservancy archives. To date, the archives have received almost 500 items this year. These include but are not limited to board meeting minutes associated with local organizations, photographs of local businesses, and historical images of stations and rights of […]

by Kevin Hughes Chestnut Hill is a unique and beautiful place. Known for its open spaces, mature trees, exceptional architecture, and access to the Wissahickon Park, it’s no wonder why the community was recognized by Forbes in 2007 as one of America’s Top 7 Urban Enclaves. To many people who call Chestnut Hill their home, […]

by Alex Bartlett Last spring, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy held its first of two programs on the history of railroads in Chestnut Hill. The focus of the spring program was the history of SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill East line and consisted of a walking tour, highlighting the history and architecture of buildings and landscapes along the […]

by Kevin Hughes and Alex Bartlett For nearly a century, Friends of the Wissahickon has worked tirelessly to protect, care for and restore the urban oasis we know as the Wissahickon Valley Park. Founded in 1924, FOW is a 2,500-member nonprofit organization that works in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to restore historic park […]

by Kevin Hughes Look around Chestnut Hill and you will undoubtedly notice a common theme: beautiful, architecturally-significant buildings framed by stately, manicured lawns. In fact, it’s kind of Chestnut Hill’s “thing.” But, walk around one of these lawns in the spring and summer and you may notice that aside from an aesthetically-pleasing view, lawns do […]

by Leah Silverstein On Friday, Oct. 4, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy is presenting the third annual Night of Lights. Designed to immerse visitors in the ongoing story of Chestnut Hill, this innovative public art exhibit will transform Germantown Avenue into an interactive exhibit of local history and architecture. Using the commercial corridor as a canvas […]