Tag Archives: Cultural Heritage Preservation

Philly’s John Coltrane House Added to PA 2020 At Risk List
Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ, February 7, 2020

Strawberry Mansion’s famous John Coltrane house named ‘at risk,’ boosting chance for survival
Billy Penn, February 6, 2020

Meaning and Memory: Making a Place for Culture in Historic Preservation
Extant Magazine, Winter 2020

Philly’s ’20th century Underground Railroad’ hides in plain sight
WHYY Podcast, January 2, 2020

Philadelphia’s building boom spawned a demolition boom in 2019
WHYY/PlanPhilly, December 19, 2019

An activist’s plea to resurrect the crumbling Strawberry Mansion home and legacy of jazz legend John Coltrane
Philadelphia Weekly, September 26, 2019

Historic Philly Underground Railroad stop that freed 9,000 slaves is saved from brink of collapse
Billy Penn, September 20, 2019

This is What You Need to Know About the 2019 John Coltrane Celebration in Philadelphia
WRTI, September 17, 2019

7 ‘Green Book’ sites to discover in Philly
WHYY/PlanPhilly, September 12, 2019

Proposed sale of landmark Painted Bride building is going to court
The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 4, 2019

Top Events for September
CityWide Stories, September 3, 2019

Hey, Mayor Kenney: Here are 20 buildings that Philadelphians want historically preserved
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 2019

Ridge Avenue and the Golden Strip
Sounds of the Circle, May 21, 2019

Changing City: How Should Philadelphia View Its Historical Buildings?
WHYY Radio Times, May 9, 2019

‘Disappearing Blackness’: The campaign to show how African American history in Philly is being erased
Philadelphia Daily News, April 26, 2019

A historic haven for black Philadelphians slated for demolition
WHYY/PlanPhilly, April 9, 2019

Did you know the cover of a Nat King Cole album was shot in Elfreth’s Alley?
Billy Penn, March 18, 2019

Unmarking African American history in Philadelphia
WHYY, January 24, 2019

Unmarking African American History in Philadelphia
WHYY/PlanPhilly, January 23, 2019

Where’s the historical marker for influential Harlem Renaissance figure? Nobody knows
Philadelphia Daily News, January 9, 2019

Citizen Salon Spotlight: Faye Anderson
Arthur Ross Gallery Blog, December 11, 2018

The Schomburg Center Invites the Public to Explore Victor Hugo Green and The Green Books
GothamToGo, November 15, 2018

A former Underground Railroad stop is on the brink of collapse in Spring Garden
Billy Penn, October 29, 2018

54 apartments are about to replace the historic Royal Theater
Billy Penn, October 25, 2018

How to save your favorite Philly buildings from development
Billy Penn, October 2, 2018

Philadelphia music legend Kenny Gamble remembers ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin
Philadelphia Business Journal, August 17, 2018

It Ain’t History–Yet. We Seek Ideas On How And Why To Save The Philadelphia History Museum
Hidden City Philadelphia, July 18, 2018

Blue Note Salon at Icebox reflects on art, jazz and activism in North Philadelphia
Artblog, June 13, 2018

How a walk around Philly could change how you think about your daily life
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 1, 2018

‘Jazz and Justice’: Where art meets activism
The Philadelphia Tribune, April 17, 2018

Philadelphia Hopes to Harmonize Historic Preservation
Next City, December 26, 2017

Never Listed
Extant Magazine, Winter 2018

Monumental matters in Philadelphia
PlanPhilly, November 16, 2017

Who is Sister Rosetta Tharpe? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee is buried here in Philly
Philly.com, October 5, 2017

Bringing Coltrane Back to North Philly
The Root, September 29, 2017

When Does Historic Preservation Become Social Justice? Public Art and Cultural Heritage Preservation
Preservation Leadership Forum, National Trust for Historic Preservation, July 26, 2017

As Philly Is Designated a National Treasure City, Don’t Forget Black Historic Sites, Say Advocates
NBC10, June 15, 2017

Philadelphia’s music history – a DIY tour
PSN News powered by the Associated Press, May 29, 2017

Jane’s Walk 2017: Walking tours to take in Philly this weekend
Curbed Philadelphia, May 1, 2017

Pearls on Ridge
PhillyHistory Blog, April 26, 2017

Historic Preservation and Social Justice
PlanPhilly, February 28, 2017

Ridge Avenue’s last standing jazz club
The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 24, 2017

Preserving Philadelphia’s Built African-American Heritage: A Conversation with All That Philly Jazz’s Faye Anderson
Extant Magazine, Fall 2016

Battle over proposed sale of first black Catholic church intensifies
Philadelphia Daily News, June 12, 2016

North Central: Philadelphia Celebrates Its Rich Jazz History
Philadelphia Neighborhoods, April 20, 2016

In Sharswood, remembering the music on Ridge Avenue
Philadelphia Daily News, April 16, 2016

Why Are Some Of The City’s Most Historic Black Churches Being Sold?
CBS Philadelphia, March 15, 2016

Luxury housing takes over Black landmarks in Philly
The Philadelphia Tribune, March 12, 2016

Malcolm X House Nominated for Listing on Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
SlideShare.net, March 2, 2016

Redevelopment In Sharswood: Will It Come At The Expense Of Preservation?
Hidden City Philadelphia, February 24, 2016

Breaking Through Historic Preservation’s Color Line
Hidden City Philadelphia, February 4, 2016

Housing Authority discusses Sharswood renewal project at Planning Commission
PlanPhilly, November 18, 2015

Three Key Historic Neighborhood Buildings Recommended For Register
Hidden City Philadelphia, September 16, 2015

Short-term art: When murals fall to developers
Philadelphia Daily News, June 5, 2015

Billie Holiday, The Roots join Walk of Fame
The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 31, 2015

Lost and found jazz in Philadelphia
Al Dia News, April 9, 2015

At Last, Billie Holiday Being Nominated For Broad St. ‘Walk Of Fame’ Plaque
KYW Newsradio 1060, April 7, 2015

Remembering Billie Holiday
The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 29, 2015

Video: Faye Anderson on All That Philly Jazz
Generocity, March 20, 2015

Share stories, preserve history with All That Philly Jazz app
The Philadelphia Tribune, March 6, 2015

All That Philly Jazz documents region’s rich jazz legacy from bebop to hip-hop
Examiner.com, March 6, 2015

Fast Forward Philly: What’s Next for Philly?
DesignPhiladelphia, October 10, 2014

Philly Jazz App: app to map Philly’s jazz history
Technical.ly Philly, August 28, 2013

All That Philly Jazz app breathes life into the local jazz scene
The Key, August 28, 2013

Where Music Lives: In A Jazz Past Resurrected
WRTI, July 3, 2013

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Whisper Not: The Autobiography of Benny Golson

July 2, 2016 Faye Anderson

On June 30, 2016, Saxophonist and composer Benny Golson held forth at the Parkway Central Library.

In conversation with WRTI host Jeff Duperon, the Philly native and NEA Jazz Master shared stories about John Coltrane, missed gigs and the persona behind “Killer Joe.”

A podcast of the event is available here.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Let’s Do Philadelphia’s Jazz Heritage Justice

June 21, 2016 Faye Anderson 1 Comment

On the first day of summer, I had to report for jury duty at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice. As I stood in line to go inside the Jury Assembly Room, I noticed a panoramic mural. I made a mental note to check it out during the break.

Words cannot convey my shock and awe to discover some of the images depict Philadelphia’s legendary jazz clubs, including the Blue Note, the Showboat and Pep’s.

It is clear the details only could have come from folks who were there. So it was no surprise to learn the mural was conceived by Doug Cooper in collaboration with “Philadelphia elderly.” Cooper wrote:

I brought together more than 40 elderly residents to complete it, and I worked jointly with them at the Center in the Park in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Local artist, Deborah Zwetsch and I assembled their memories over the previous 80 years.

[…]

The memories of the elderly are highly personal. Some are sentimental, some painful, some humorous, some ordinary.

There is nothing ordinary about the depiction of the Ridge Avenue jazz corridor.

Ridge Avenue is ground zero in the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s plan to transform the Sharswood neighborhood. There is widespread concern that PHA has no plan to preserve the neighborhood’s cultural heritage and historic resources.

Cooper’s mural, showcasing Pep’s, the Showboat, Blue Horizon, Uptown Theater and jazz clubs on Ridge Avenue, tells part of the story of Philadelphia’s rich jazz heritage. We must capture the rest of the story while the folks who were there are still here. If we don’t, their stories will be lost for current and future generations.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

St. Peter Claver, Gentrification and Black History

June 6, 2016 Faye Anderson 3 Comments

First it was #PopeInPhilly. Now this: The Archdiocese of Philadelphia plans to put the oldest church for black Catholics on the auction block. St. Peter Claver Union was named after the “Apostle of the Slave Trade,” a 16th century Spanish Jesuit priest who fought against the slave trade.

St. Peter Claver was an anchor in the community. Future blues legend Ethel Waters recounts in her autobiography, His Eye is on the Sparrow, that at age six, she was gravely ill with typhoid fever and double pneumonia. Her grandmother sent for Fr. Healey who baptized and anointed her.

In 1942, St. Peter Claver’s Catholic Church, Fifty Golden Years, a self-published history, was released:

It was also toward the end of the 19th century that a sizable population of blacks developed their own Catholic congregation in Philadelphia. Prior to 1886, black Catholics had worshiped in the parishes of St. Joseph, St. Mary, and St. Augustine in the city. In 1886, Holy Trinity Church, a traditionally German Catholic Church at 6th and Spruce, began holding a mass for blacks. The pastor of Holy Trinity, Father Hilterman, encouraged his black congregants to form their own union, which adopted the name St. Peter Claver Union, after the native of Catalonia, Spain, whose efforts in behalf of emancipation earned him the title, “Apostle of the Slave Trade.”

In July 29, 1889, Rev. Patrick McDermott, arrived in Philadelphia to take charge of the burgeoning black Catholic congregation at the request of Mother Katherine Drexel, founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, after she visited Holy Ghost College (now Duquesne University) in Pittsburgh, PA. McDermott’s congregation began assembling in a small chapel in the second story of a home at 832 Pine Street in 1889, but it soon became too crowded, and the group began to look for a large church home.

When in 1890, the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia offered its building at 12th and Lombard for sale, the congregation began to pool its resources to purchase it. When Patrick Quinn, treasurer of the Beneficial Savings Fund Society, one of Philadelphia’s largest banks at the time, died the same year, his will stipulated that $5,000 of his fortune was to go to the “proposed Colored Catholic Church of Philadelphia.” With donations from other well-to-do Philadelphians and loan from a bank, the congregation managed to assemble the funds to purchase Fourth Presbyterian Church at 12th and Lombard, which was dedicated as St. Peter Claver’s Church, Philadelphia’s first black Catholic church, on January 3, 1892.

Fast forward to today. The Archdiocese is in Orphans’ Court petitioning for the removal of racial language in the deeds that would rewrite history.

Arlene Edmonds, community historian and author of the African American Catholic Youth Bible, told Sabrina Vourvoulias of Philadelphia Magazine:

I feel a special connection because I’ve always been interested in historical sites, particularly the Underground Railroad and the sites that were built from by those enslaved Africans who creatively masterminded their escapes. Setting foot in St. Peter Claver one can feel it is part of that lineage. As a Catholic, so many of the earliest African connections to the faith have been overpowered by Western traditions after the faith was embraced by Europeans. Most American Catholic churches are centered around a Eurocentric interpretation of the faith.

Then you have a St. Peter Claver Church that was donated to the Black community for the purpose of evangelizing to African Americans. They lived in Philadelphia during the antebellum era, were among those who escaped along the Underground Railroad, or who migrated here later from the south as well as the Caribbean and Latin America. This was their church before there was an Archdiocese of Philadelphia [emphasis added]. It housed their history in photographs and artifacts. To have that taken from us is very sad. That is why many feel as I do, that others are trying to erase our history even those who say they share our faith.

I don’t share Edmonds’ faith, but I share her concern that gentrification is erasing African American history. Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church, is host of “Urban Insight” on 900amWURD. In an interview with Edmonds, Rev. Tyler observed:

St. Peter Claver is sandwiched between Big Wesley and Mother Bethel. The neighborhood is awash with great history of founding events in the black community. It’s an American story. We must help the Archdiocese find a different way to deal with this property.

Given the givens, I put my faith in Orphans’ Court. So I filed an objection to the Archdiocese’s Petition for Cy Pres.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Black Wall Street and the Blues

May 31, 2016 Faye Anderson 2 Comments

June is Black Music Month. This June marks the 95th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. For two days (May 31-June 1), white vigilantes massacred black residents, looted and burned to the ground the most prosperous black community in the United States.

The riot took place in the Greenwood District, known as the Black Wall Street, the heart of which was bounded by Greenwood Avenue, and Archer and Pine streets. Tulsa natives, brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson’s group — The GAP Band — pays tribute to one of the worst race riots in U.S. history.

Black Wall Street, a hotbed for jazz and blues, was a stop on the famed Chitlin’ Circuit. Bandleader Walter Barnes was one of the most colorful characters on “the stroll.”

In his book, The Chitlin’ Circuit: and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll, Preston Lauterbach writes:

The tour [Walter Barnes and his Royal Creolians] kicked off in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the week before Thanksgiving, where Barnes found “Black Wall Street” bustling. “Greenwood is the name of the colored district of Tulsa, and one can get anything here from a shoe shine up.” Barnes highlighted the stroll’s musicians, dance promoters, dance halls, and its dentists, barbers, pharmacies, cafes, cab companies, and lodgings, always stressing the up-to-date. “I stopped with my entire orchestra at the modern and exclusive Small Hotel” in Tulsa, “one of the best equipped in the country, having newest electrical fixtures, telephone in each room, bath in every room, and modernistic furniture.” The Kings of Swing played the Crystal Palace Ballroom, “the last word in beauty,” and hung around the Goodie Goodie Club, Cotton Club, and Del Rio. “There’s plenty niteries here.”

In 1940, Barnes was killed in a fire while performing at the Rhythm Club in Natchez, Mississippi. The tragedy was memorialized in tribute songs by blues musicians, including Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

African American History and Culture Matter

May 23, 2016 Faye Anderson

It’s been more than a decade in the making, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will open on September 24. Founding Director Lonnie Bunch wrote:

After 13 years of hard work and dedication on the part of so many, I am thrilled. In a few short months visitors will walk through the doors of the museum and see that it is a place for all people. We are prepared to offer exhibitions and programs to unite and capture the attention of millions of people worldwide. It will be a place where everyone can explore the story of America through the lens of the African American experience.

The National Museum of American History is asking citizen curators to vote on photos from its Archives Center that reflect the diversity of the African American experiences. Twenty-five photos, six of which selected by the public, will go on display in September to commemorate the opening of the new museum. For more information, visit http://s.si.edu/PhotoVote1. Voting closes May 27 at midnight ET.

To say I can’t wait is an understatement. Even though I get no closer than the “No Trespassing” sign, I stop by the museum on every trip to DC.

On Opening Day, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be open for 24 hours. I plan to skip President Barack Obama’s ribbon cutting and visit after midnight. I hope to spend some quiet time in the Contemplative Court reflecting on the ancestors and their incredible stories of faith, struggle and triumph.

Great Gosh A’Mighty! NMAAHC has been a long time coming.

Advocacy

International Jazz Day 2016

April 25, 2016 Faye Anderson

All good things must come to an end. Jazz Appreciation Month is going out on a high note. On Saturday, April 30, America’s classical music will be celebrated across the globe, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement:

Jazz was born in the U.S. and traveled the world as a music of tolerance, freedom and human dignity. This is why UNESCO created International Jazz Day and we are extremely pleased that in 2016 Washington, DC has been designated the host city for this global celebration, with a unique All Star Concert at the White House, hosted by the President of the United States Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. This event reminds us Jazz is more than music – it is a universal message of peace with rhythm and meaning.

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock added:

We are thrilled that President Obama and Michelle Obama are hosting the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at the White House, and are truly grateful for their commitment to jazz and its role in building bridges and uniting people around the world. Over the past five years, the innovation and creativity of Jazz Day has been a beacon of light to millions of people who find common ground and communicate through the values inherent in jazz. On April 30th, people of all ages in all corners of the globe will participate in International Jazz Day. A wide range of momentous events will take place in thousands of neighborhoods – and the streets will be alive with the sounds of peace and freedom.

The all-star global concert will air on ABC-TV at 8pm ET.

Advocacy, Cultural Heritage Preservation, Lee Morgan

2016 NEA Jazz Master Archie Shepp

April 20, 2016 Faye Anderson

The 2016 NEA Jazz Masters were honored at a tribute concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This year’s class includes Archie Shepp who grew up in West Philadelphia. During an NEA interview, Shepp talked about jazz and Philadelphia:

The music that we call jazz has always been important in the African American community, especially in the poorer neighborhoods.

There was a lot of racism and prejudice, but a lot of music, a lot of blues and some good times. Music was all over Philadelphia. You could go down to North Philadelphia and hear young John Coltrane or Johnny Coles, Jimmy Oliver, Jimmy Heath. I suppose that’s what jazz is all about, suffering and good times, and somehow making the best of all of that.

At the tribute concert for Benny Carter, I got a chance to spend some time with Shepp during the break. He reminisced about the jam sessions at the Heath Brothers’ Family Home. He shared that he learned how to play chords from Coltrane and Lee Morgan.

Truth be told, Philadelphia’s contribution to jazz is mostly an untold story. We must capture stories about Philly’s jazz scene while those who know the history are still here.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

April is National Poetry Month

April 12, 2016 Faye Anderson

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. It’s also National Poetry Month.

It’s probably no coincidence the two art forms are celebrated during the same month. After all, the Harlem Renaissance gave birth to jazz poetry. The most celebrated jazz poet is Langston Hughes who collaborated with jazz musicians, including Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk.

In his 1926 essay, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” Hughes wrote:

But jazz to me is one of the inherent expressions of Negro life in America; the eternal tom-tom beating in the Negro soul—the tom-tom of revolt against weariness in a white world, a world of subway trains, and work, work, work; the tom-tom of joy and laughter, and pain swallowed in a smile.

In 1958, Hughes recorded his poem, “The Weary Blues,” over jazz composed by Mingus and Leonard Feather.

Also, check out a reading of “The Weary Blues” by Rev. Dr. Allen Dwight Callahan, a Philly native and former professor at Harvard Divinity School.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

Jazz Appreciation Month 2016

March 30, 2016 Faye Anderson 2 Comments

Since 2002, April has been designated on Jazz Appreciation Month. The National Museum of American History will kick off the celebration with a salute to Benny Carter:

To kick off Jazz Appreciation Month 2016, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra salutes the masterworks of this year’s featured poster artist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer and arranger, Benny Carter. Affectionately known as “King,” Carter was a major contributor in the development of jazz. As a musician, he helped shape the alto sax as a solo instrument in jazz; as a composer, he helped create the vocabulary of swing; and as a bandleader and arranger he broke down racial boundaries in jazz and spread the music around the world. As Miles Davis once said, “everyone should listen to Benny Carter, he’s a whole music education.

Carter’s legacy includes arranging the music for the Hollywood film “Stormy Weather.”

https://youtu.be/XPAPHVAmp1U

To find new ways to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, visit Smithsonian Jazz or JAM at the National Museum of American History.

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