District Health Center One Added To Philly's Historic Register

PHILADELPHIA – The District Health Center One on South Broad Street in Philadelphia has been added to the city's Register of Historic Places, according to the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The alliance said the center, operated by the Philadelphia Health Department since 1960, was accepted into the register at a recent meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

The building was nominated by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The Shipley White Residence in Chestnut Hill was also added to the register.

“Our nominations for these buildings were comprehensive and unassailable,” Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, said. “Both buildings are widely revered by those who recognize the intrinsic and economic benefits of protecting our historic resources.”

Here's what the alliance has to say about the District Health Center One:

Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health, District Health Center One at 500 South Broad Street has served Center City residents since 1960. Distinctly space-age in design, the three-story building is characterized by bold, clean geometry, horizontal ribbons of windows and rounded corners overhanging mosaic murals of teal and clear glass block. Set back from the edges of the roof, a futuristic pilot house in cast concrete with trapezoidal windows creates a skylight into the atrium.

At the time it was built, the Center reflected the progressive health care reforms of the 40s and 50s that spread providers throughout the City. The Center was a central hub to a network of ten neighborhood health clinics, all of which still serve Philadelphia today.

“Remarkably, more than fifty years later, District Health Center One today retains its original use as a clinic, central office and laboratory for Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health,” said Patrick Grossi, Advocacy Director for the Preservation Alliance. “It is a testament to the planning and ambitions of the system’s mid-20th century overseers.”

"I'm delighted that these buildings were added to the Register," Steinke said. "But it only means that significant alterations must first be approved by the Commission. It doesn't spare them from demolition in perpetuity. Neighborhood vigilance will always be necessary to maintain the culture, character and quality of our historic buildings."

These buildings are among the dozens of Preservation Alliance-nominated properties that have been placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

Visit the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia website to learn more about the alliance.

Image via Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia