Tonight, starting at 6pm, the Chester County Historical Society hosted the Seventh Annual West Chester Preservation Awards Ceremony. Many sponsors and representatives were in attendance to help commemorate the historical value of these West Chester buildings. Allen Burke, chairman of the West Chester Downtown Foundation, provided me with insight as to why this awards ceremony is an integral element of the West Chester community.
“I’ve been involved in organizing it for four years now,” said Allen. “West Chester is full of very rich history, and we feel our predecessors left us a great gift with all of the historical architecture. We want to celebrate the talented people that designed these buildings. It’s its own reward to commemorate them.”
The Seventh Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony Recipients are as follows:
The Bricks and Mortar Award:
- 119 East Gay Street Retail Property – renovation and restoration of The Social Lounge
- Smithworks Design – adaptive reuse of 511 Mechanics Alley
- Chester County Historical Society – adaptive reuse of 225 North High Street
- Marshall Square Park Fountain – renovation at 200 East Marshall Street
- West Chester National Guard Armory (now Uptown! Knauer and Performing Arts Center) – adaptive reuse at 226 North High Street
The Preservation Service Award:
- West Chester Prime’s Johnathan Ashton – for his video entitled, “West Chester Historical Landmarks Video Tour”
The Special Recognition Award:
- Timothy Coldren of Monroe Coldren & Son – for his efforts of restoration, refit, and custom construction of period hardware
The West Chester Preservation Legacy Award:
- Ray H. Ott Jr. – for his significant contributions to the urban preservation of the West Chester borough
“Tonight, we celebrate the best of West Chester,” Allen stated, “Our mission is to elevate West Chester’s rich history and its preservation. We want to bring the vibrancy of that preservation to the public in this manner tonight.”
For more information on events happening at the Chester County Historical Society, check them out online.