Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance

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Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance

Engaging young residents of the greater Philadelphia area with local preservation issues.

07/26/2026

Join YFPA for a Happy Hour at LOVE Park! Before the Love Park Welcome Center (aka “the Saucer”) opens as a coffee shop next year, Broad Street Brewing is hosting a beer garden in LOVE Park.

In 2015, YFPA helped to lead the effort to preserve the iconic Mid-Century Modern Fairmount Park Welcome Center/Love Park Welcome Center, designed by Roy Larson in 1906, when it was threatened with demolition. Working with Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia PennPraxis, and other groups, the YFPA compiled research, conducted a social media awareness campaign ( ), helped launch a public petition, and organized a photo exhibit. The efforts helped change the tone and direction of conversation, and the “Saucer” was saved and still presides over LOVE Park.

The Love Park Welcome Center was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in October 2025, and a new permanent tenant is planned for next year.

Let’s get together and celebrate the progress made in preserving and activating the “Saucer!”

When: August 6, 2026, 5:30-7:30 PM
Where: LOVE Park, 1501 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19103

This event is free/pay-as-you-go. We hope to see you there!

07/10/2026

Last month, members of the Steering Committee got together for their annual retreat to plan and brainstorm for the upcoming year!

Welcome to new Steering Committee Members Jaqueline Griffiths, Evelyn Ferrall, Danny Cruz, Ashley Losco, and Ashley Porrini, and a huge thank you to outgoing members Kevin Block, Keighly Baron, and Ha Leem Ro for your service to the Steering Committee!

Interested in joining a committee? Email [email protected] and stay tuned for upcoming announcements!

07/02/2026

At the Preservation Achievement Awards this past June, YFPA Steering Committee member Kevin Block presented the 2026 Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance Award to North Philadelphia History Festival, presented by Scribe Video Center.

Presented to recognize the latest generation of preservation achievement in Greater Philadelphia, the Young Friends Award honors fresh, innovative approaches that expand the field. The inaugural North Philadelphia History Festival, organized by Scribe Video Center from July 24–27, 2025, exemplifies this spirit. The four-day festival transformed historic sites along Ridge Avenue, North Broad Street, and surrounding neighborhoods into living exhibits, featuring installations, performances, and conversations led by artists, historians, and cultural workers, and drawing more than 1,200 attendees.

Through creative, place-based programming, the festival activated historic spaces to tell the stories of North Philadelphia’s African American and Puerto Rican communities, highlighting both well-known and overlooked landmarks, including the Pyramid Club. By bringing new audiences into historic places and linking cultural storytelling with preservation, Scribe’s planning team demonstrated a fresh, inclusive model of stewardship.

As a publicly accessible, highly collaborative initiative, the North Philadelphia History Festival represents the latest generation of preservation practice—broadening who participates, whose stories are told, and how communities engage with the built environment.

Congrats to the team at Scribe Video Center and all of the award winners!

06/18/2026

A proposal to replace the PHS Pop-Up Garden Manayunk site with a six-story apartment building has renewed attention on one of Manayunk’s most distinctive industrial landmarks.

Built after the elevation of the rail line in 1929, the Hare & Cute Coal Pocket is one of the few surviving coal pockets along the corridor. More recently, the structure found new life as the home of the popular PHS Pop-Up Garden.

Although the property sits within the Main Street Manayunk Historic District, the coal pocket is not designated as a contributing resource and can be demolished without review by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

While many residents are disappointed to lose the garden, YFPA believes the potential loss of this rare piece of Philadelphia’s industrial heritage deserves equal attention. If you share that view, we encourage you to sign the community petition and help demonstrate public support for this important site.

Join YFPA and Urban Sketchers Philadelphia at the PHS Pop-up Garden in Manayunk to sketch and memorialize this historic site. Afterwards, we’ll share our sketches over some snacks and drinks.

When: Monday, June 29, 2026 from 5:30-7:30 PM
Where: PHS Pop-Up Garden Manayunk, 106 Jamestown Avenue
Cost: Free/ Pay-As-You-Go

We hope to see you there!

Link to the proposal and petition in our bio

06/15/2026

Join YFPA on Saturday, June 20, for a Spring Volunteer Day and highlights tour at Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia.

Led by Tyler A. Ray, Chair of the Advocate Preservation Committee and YFPA Steering Committee member, volunteers will help deliver some tender loving care to this historic landmark as it works toward reopening after being closed to the public since 2024.

Volunteer activities will include sweeping and dusting interior spaces, removing debris and weeds, and helping create a chapel for future Sunday services. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn more about the church’s history and ongoing preservation efforts through a special highlights tour.

Cleaning supplies will be provided while they last. Volunteers are encouraged to bring water, work gloves, a flashlight, and a facemask. A liability waiver is required before entering the building.

When: Saturday, June 28th, 10am-3pm
Where: 1801 W. Diamond Street, Philadelphia PA
Please RSVP. Space is limited to 20 volunteers

Sign up at the link below!

https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/product/062026/church-of-the-advocate-volunteer-day

Contact [email protected] with any questions.

05/06/2026

Join YFPA and Urban Sketchers for an outing at Bartram’s Garden! Come to sketch and stay for a picnic.

We will start sketching at 10:00 am. If you would like to start early, the site opens at sunrise and cars are admitted at 9:00 am. The Welcome Center and facilities open at 9:30 am.

Whenever and wherever you start, you don’t need to check in with anyone. Just find a suitable spot and start sketching. Please say hello and introduce yourself to other sketchers you see!

We will meet at noon at the open grassy area between the parking circle and the Welcome Center. We’ll share sketches in a throw-down, then take a group photo. After, join us for a picnic lunch.

Bring your own lunch and a stool or folding chair. There is water available but no other food or drink. There is not much seating at the site or picnic tables, so your own seating will be useful for sketching and picnicking.

The site is accessible via the #36/T5 SEPTA trolley.

Bring your own lunch and a stool or folding chair. There is water available but no other food or drink.

When: Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00 am
Where: Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19143

We hope you can join us!

03/17/2026

Volunteer Day at Lynnewood Hall

Join YFPA on Saturday, March 28, for a volunteer cleaning day at Lynnewood Hall in Elkins Park.

Under the direction of Tyler Schumacher, Site Manager at Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation and YFPA Steering Committee member, volunteers will assist in cleaning the interior by sweeping, dusting, and mopping after the site has been dormant in the winter. No experience is necessary, just enthusiasm!

When: Saturday, March 28, 10 AM - 4 PM
Where: Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park
Cost: Free

Head to the link below to register! Space is limited to 30 volunteers.

https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/product/03282026/yfpa-spring-volunteer-day-at-lynnewood-hall

03/12/2026

Join the YFPA Steering Committee!

Do you love cool events in old buildings? Does sharing your passion for preservation excite you? We need your ideas, organizational ability, and enthusiasm to shape the future of the Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance!

YFPA engages, connects, and emboldens the residents of Greater Philadelphia around historic preservation. Our work advocates for projects that positively impact cultural heritage and celebrates a vast community dedicated to protecting the built environment throughout the region.

YFPA is led by a volunteer Steering Committee of self-driven young professionals who are committed to advancing PAGP’s mission through public programming, tours, advocacy projects, and social events. The Steering Committee meets monthly, and members contribute to one or several subcommittees.

The only prerequisites for serving on the Steering Committee are a passion for preservation and the ability to collaborate well!

Applications close on Monday, April 6 at 5 PM. Head to the link below to submit an application!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGMSCbaV67Xo5Y4KjPmuIJJmK_SFMXj0Ax-M1BT7ncpd2cow/viewform?usp=header

03/02/2026

Join us on March 12 at Partners for Sacred Places for YFPA’s annual general membership meeting!

YFPA is hosting its annual General Membership Meeting on Thursday, March 12, from 6:30 - 8 PM at Partners for Sacred Places, 1700 Sansom St.

As YFPA kicks off its steering committee recruitment season, learn more about the group, share your ideas, and find out how to get involved!

Light snacks and refreshments will be served. Registration is required for building security!

When: Thursday, March 12 from 6:30-8:00 PM
Where: 1700 Samson Street

RSVP at the link in our below! Can’t wait to see you there!

https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/product/03122026/yfpa-general-membership-meeting

Address

1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Suite 850
Philadelphia, PA
19103

Telephone

+12155461146

Website

https://preservationalliance.com/about-us/young-friends-of-the-preservation-alliance/

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