Battle to Maintain Balance Between History and Commerce Quietly Continues

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Image via Lower Merion Conservancy.
Conservancy staff member Amy Chapkovich, volunteer Kristin Nakaishi, and Friends of Sabine Park Co-Director Christa Staab on a planting day.

Maintaining the balance between preservation of history and economic progress is a battle that has been raging on for decades on the Main Line, writes Paul Jablow for Main Line Today.

Throughout the region, the preservationists have been fighting to maintain as much of the historical character of the area as progress will allow.

“Without it, you don’t have the Main Line,” said Kathleen Abplanalp, Director of Historic Preservation at Lower Merion Conservancy.

For those who champion history, rising land prices combined with pressure from developers have made things increasingly difficult over the years.

Still, some significant victories have been achieved. These include the ongoing renovation of the mansion at Willows Park Reserve and achieving protected status for properties like Wynnewood’s St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

Even whole neighborhoods are the focus of this balancing act, with homeowners in some historic districts having to deal with restrictions on what they can do with their properties.

The reason, explained Lower Merion historic preservation planner Greg Prichard, is that the many small changes “lead to a drastic overall change in the appearance of historic neighborhoods, even when no buildings are lost in the process.”

Read more about preservation at Main Line Today by clicking here.

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