WEST CHESTER HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARDS:
2022
Award Winners
featuring photos by Timlyn Vaughan Photography
BRICK & MORTAR AWARD
Preservation of the
Uriah V. Pennypacker House
229 N. High Street
Located on a prominent corner of a main thoroughfare in downtown West Chester, 229 N. High Street is visually typical of other nineteenth-century homes in West Chester but, this building has a unique backstory. Uriah V. Pennypacker built the three-story front section c. 1850; however, there is foundation evidence that suggests the rear portion of the house may be earlier. ...
BRICK & MORTAR AWARD
Porch Reconstruction
139 E. Marshall Street
The construction project at 139 E. Marshall Street is a good example of the significant impact a relatively small, well-executed project can have on a building and its neighborhood. The homeowner, Rosalie Stancato, proposed to replace the existing concrete landing and steps with a more historically accurate front porch. After converting the former doctor’s office on the first floor back into a private residence, her goal was to improve the residential property and replace some of the historic character that had been lost over time. ...
BRICK & MORTAR AWARD
New Twin Home
219-221 W. Lafayette Street
Until 2020, 217-221 West Lafayette consisted of a home with a large side yard big enough to subdivide into three parcels. Strict adherence to borough zoning code would result in subdividing the parcel creating
two new lots that would face Weaver Alley. Michael O’Rourke had a better idea. ...
BRICK & MORTAR AWARD
Church Street Market House
120 N. Church Street
The original 1990 adaptive reuse of the Church Street Market House as professional offices was a trendsetting project, illustrating new options for the borough’s historic buildings. This year we recognize the current owners of the Church Street Market House for their recent extensive restoration, insuring its viability as a modern office building into the future. ...
BRICK & MORTAR AWARD
Christ Church West Chester
Tower Restoration
200 S. Church Street
The Christ Church property located on the southwest corner of Church and Barnard St. was originally the site of a mid- nineteenth-century Italianate mansion constructed by J. Lacey Darlington, son of Dr. William Darlington. The property was later acquired by Henry S. Evans who had married Dr. Darlington’s daughter, Jane. Evans was active in local affairs, purchasing the Village Record in 1834, and later serving in the Pennsylvania House of Representative and State Senate. ...
Preservation Service Award
Historical Book
West Chester to 1865 - That Elegant and Notorious Place
Author: Douglas R. Harper
Douglas R. Harper is recognized as the author of West Chester to 1865: That Elegant & Notorious Place, published by the Chester County Historical Society in 1999. Mr. Harper’s book is an expansive history of West Chester’s development and civic life from the 1640’s through the end of the American Civil War in 1865. ...
Preservation Service Award
Bernie Flynn
Public beautification: Graffiti Removal & Maintenance
One walk past the home of Bernie Flynn tells you the owner is someone who cares deeply about preserving the historic character of West Chester. Bernie has maintained his home on West Miner Street with meticulous care entirely of his own doing. Most noticeable is the carefully selected (and historically correct) colors he has chosen to highlight the building’s architectural details...
Preservation Legacy Award
Dr. Clifford DeBaptiste
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We recognize Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste for his leadership in civic engagement, business, education and philanthropy. He has devoted a lifetime working to enhance the quality of life in West Chester through community development and promoting the heritage of West Chester and its historic figures. Dr. DeBaptiste served as the borough’s first African American mayor from 1994 to 2002. He has invested in West Chester’s steady progress by executing numerous new development projects in the Borough. His efforts have made a tangible and positive impact on the entire community. Dr. DeBaptiste’s contributions to preserving West Chester touch many aspects of borough life...
