Breaking: Boyd Theater Unanimously Voted Into Philly Register Of Historic Places
Good news for folks following the ongoing saga to keep the Boyd Theater on Chestnut Street from the dustbin of history. At a hearing earlier this morning, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to grant the Boyd that all-important status. According to Boyd activist/noted film dude Jay Schwartz, all are pretty elated right now. “Things went well,” he says. “It seems there’s a new and very different Historic Commission in town (as appointed by the new mayor).” Presumably, this new historic status would prevent any evildoers from tearing the building down — this was a huge worry in the past — and paves the way towards the Boyd’s eventual restoration. So, yay! After the jump, a message that Friends of The Boyd just sent out to supporters, proclaiming/explaining the good news.
This morning, the Philadelphia Historical Commission unanimously voted
to add the Boyd Theatre to the PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES!An overflow, standing room crowd of about 70 people attended. When asked
to stand if they supported the nomination, nearly all stood (some people were at the
meeting for other Historic Commission agenda items). THANKS to many
supporters who appeared.Testifying in favor were JOHN GALLERY (who as chair of the Preservation
Alliance filed the nomination), myself for Friends of the Boyd, GERSIL KAY
of Building Conservation International, ADRIAN FINE of the National Trust
for Historic Places (which this year included the Boyd on its list of the 11
most endangered buildings in America), Dr. DAVID BROWNLEE of the University
of Pennsylvania, and SHAWN EVANS, AIA, co-chair of the AIA Philadelphia
Historic Preservation Committee.Designation of the Boyd means that the building’s exterior is legally
protected from demolition or alteration. Today’s decision was a landmark
reversal of the 2002 denial. Today’s action means that the City of
Philadelphia has done the right thing in taking this step! It does not mean
the plywood on the facade comes down and the Boyd magically reopens, with
its ornate Art Deco exterior and interior restored for public entertainment.
There’s more work to do!
August 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
That’s great news.
Now where do things stand with renovations and a plan for a new use of the building? There are way too many empty storefronts on that stretch of Chestnut Street going Westward, and the restoration of the Boyd would go a long way to filling in those gaps in the neighborhood.
August 8th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
How about they start with the boarded up marquee. It makes the street look like a war zone with the state the façade is in now.
August 8th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Good news.
BTW: I have someplace of architectural significance to show you babies, but it involves a trip to the shore.