Preserve Historic Homes with Creative Stewardship

Opinion By: Marian Godfrey & Barbara Silberman Read time:
Preserve Historic Homes with Creative Stewardship

Regarding the Sept. 18 editorial, ''A passion for history won't be sufficient to preserve Bachmann Publick House'':

The Morning Call was right to question the fate of the Bachmann Publick House -- and the many other struggling house museums across the country. House museums do need realistic business plans and the means to support them. But it is also useful to consider how these homes could be used for other purposes and how some sites are responding.

The Philadelphia region alone has hundreds of historic house museums; but unfortunately, the majority are imperiled by lack of public interest, with fewer than 1,000 visits per year, small professional staffs, and shrinking resources. Indeed, this is representative of a looming national crisis.

The Living Legacy Alternative Stewardship Project, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation, is helping some historic house museums in the Philadelphia region convert to alternative uses such as returning to private ownership with protective easements and special public access arrangements, merging with other institutions, or dedicating the properties to community groups.

Historic homes represent a valuable legacy to their cities and to the nation. They are the tangible reminders of our history, where we came from, and who we once were. And they should be preserved; but new paradigms for stewardship must be considered to provide the most sustainable protection possible.

Marian Godfrey
Managing Director
Culture and Civic Initiatives
The Pew Charitable Trusts

Barbara Silberman
Senior Adviser
Heritage Philadelphia Program
Philadelphia

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.