Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) will present five design strategies to prevent future flooding at Mather Mill during a public open house at 3:30 PM, Monday, December 10 at the Whitemarsh Township Municipal Building, 616 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, in the main meeting room.
As part of its Disaster Planning for Historic Properties Initiative, PA SHPO held a workshop in October to solicit design concepts from five Pennsylvania architectural firms for the reuse of Mather Mill. Frequent flooding led to the closing of this property, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The participating firms include Mark B. Thompson Associates of Philadelphia, Seiler + Drury Architecture of Norristown, BWA Architecture + Planning of Philadelphia, Heritage Design Collaborative of Media, and Vitetta of Harrisburg.
PA SHPO will also present an overview of the office’s work to better protect Pennsylvania’s historic buildings from natural disasters.
Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback on the submitted materials.
The public is invited to review the submitted designs anytime between 3:30 PM and 7:00 PM, with a formal presentation from 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM. Parking is available in a surface lot behind the Municipal Building, and the main entrance faces the parking lot.
The Disaster Planning for Historic Properties Initiative is a project of PA SHPO, funded by the National Park Service, to improve integration of historic resources with disaster planning. The PHMC website has more information.
PA SHPO, a bureau within the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, coordinates state and federal historic preservation programs including the National Register of Historic Places, state and federal tax credits, and review of state and federal projects for their impact on historic resources.
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Find out more about the commission online at www.phmc.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639