Alumnus Directs Restoration of Historic Area of
PENN'SGREENE COUNTRIETOWNE by MARK LUTZ, '26 HROUGH Judge Edwin Owen Lewis, '96, the University of Richmond has made a priceless contribution to the renaissance of "America's most historic mile," that area of old Philadelphia which contains such treasures as Independence Hall with the Liberty Bell and Carpenters and Congress Halls. Philadelphia had once been capital of the new nation, its largest city and most important port. Laid out in 1682, its original streets had echoed to the footfalls of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Monroe, Marshall and other Founding Fathers . Through the years, however, the priceless historic structures of Penn's "greene Countrie Towne" had become crowded and overshadowed by buildings of no particular architectural significance and its once quiet streets clogged with heavy traffic. Then by 1939 the historic heart of the city was rapidly falling into that decay which affects most downtown sections of large cities as business and residential areas move away. It was at this juncture that Richmondborn Judge Lewis, for forty years prominent in Philadelphia public life, formed a committee to take steps to protect the city's historic buildings from bomb damage in case of a second World War. The work of this committee evolved, under Judge Lewis' direction, into the organization known as Independence Hall Association, which was chartered to protect the historic shrines and to improve their environment. Judge Lewis was chosen president of this Association, which comprised representatives of fifty-two civic organizations . Upon taking the presidency of the Association, Judge Lewis interested the Governor and Legislature of Pennsylvania, the Mayor and City Council of Philadelphia, and the United States Congress in a plan to create two parks in the deteriorating neighborhood of Independence Hall. Their construction would inevitably eliminate the great fire hazard of overcrowded streets lined with many outmoded buildings and bring about the visual re-creation of the Colonial period . The parks are now known as Independence State Mall, which runs northward for several blocks from Independence Square, and Independence National Historic Park to the East. The creation of these parks necessitated the destruction of approximately 220 buildings, most of them undated but with a few massive Victorian structures modernized
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Judge Lewis with Mrs. Peter Borie, Secretary of the Independence Mall Association. Independence Hall is in the background.
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