The Chestnut Hill Historical Society and the Friends
of the Wissahickon jointly sponsor an easement program for Chestnut
Hill, surrounding communities and the Philadelphia section of
the Wissahickon watershed. Established in 1991, the historical
society now holds 30 easements protecting over 54 acres of open
space and 12 historic facades valued at over 7 million dollars.
The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia and the Natural
Lands Trust hold another 28 conservation and façade easements
in the community adding. These easements are the strongest preservation
tool available to the historical society.
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| Front façade of 129 Bethlehem
Pike, attributed to Samuel Slone. This wonderful Italianate-style,
Victorian house was constructed in 1854. CHHS holds an easement
on the façade. |
The program encourages property owners within
the Wissahickon watershed to donate potential development rights
to the historical society, assuring that the properties never
will be subdivided or developed in the future. Owners of historic
structures also can donate façade easements, forever protecting
architecturally significant buildings from inappropriate alterations
or additions.
In addition to preserving exceptional properties and historic
facades, the incentive to owners is that the value of the easement
is usually considered a charitable contribution and can be taken
as a deduction for federal income tax purposes. Recent changes
in Federal Law further encourages easement donations by allowing
estates, at death, to be appraised at lower values once an easement
has been granted.
CHHS closed on 4 important easements in 2004. In April, CHHS
was granted an easement on the 2.5-acre field fronting on McCallum
Street in Kresheim East. Donated by Quita Woodward Horan, this
important gateway to Chestnut Hill will remain open forever.
It will be owned and maintained by an association of homeowners
of the 6 adjacent lots – two existing houses on Mermaid
Lane, three to-be-built houses on Cherokee and one on the corner
of Mermaid and McCallum.
CHHS also closed on the façade easement for Graylock
at 209 West Chestnut Hill Avenue. The easement covers both the
imposing 18,000 sq ft main house and the 4,000 sq ft garage,
both designed by W. H. Carpenter about 1909. An amendment to
the existing conservation easement on this 6.5-acre property
also was executed when the property was purchased by new owners
who will continue to use the main house for offices.
In June we recorded a façade easement on a McGoodwin–designed,
former Woodward house adjacent to Pastorius Park and in December
we closed on a 2.5 conservation easement on West Bell’s
Mill road.
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CHHS holds
a conservation easement on this 3.6 acre property at the
edge of the Wissahickon Valley. The interesting house,
designed by Wilson Eyre in 1885, was donated by the owners
to the Natural Lands Trust, a regional land conservation
organization. The owners have life tenancy. When it is
sold by the Natural Lands Trust the proceeds will go to
other non-profit organizations designated by the owners. |
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| View
of beautifully maintained open space on 7-acre property
protected by an easement held by the Chestnut Hill Historical
Society.
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For more information about easements, please refer to the CHHS
publication Managing Development and Promoting Preservation,
which is available from the Historical Society.
