📸 Documenting Chinatown history | Morning Newsletter

The sun’s out again, with highs in the low 70s.

Today’s lead story highlights the efforts of a Philadelphia photojournalist to captivate the rich history of Chinatown.

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— Paola Pérez (@pdesiperez, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

If you’ve ever attended a protest or march in Philly, you may have been right next to him without realizing it.

Rodney Atienza is often stealthily running around with his camera shutter clicking from different angles, recording life in living color.

That’s particularly true in Chinatown, which Atienza has been documenting since the late 1990s, his lens conveying often unseen stories about the historic neighborhood.

In his own words: “It’s more than a place where you go eat. It’s more than restaurants. There’s a vibrant community behind it that people don’t know about, and we need to bring that to the forefront.”

Atienza first moved to Philly from Virginia in 1995 to volunteer with Project HOME, and soon after met award-winning photographer Harvey Finkle, whose career has focused on covering social justice issues and movements.

“I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” Atienza said.

Keep reading about Atienza’s dedication to capture the chronicles of Chinatown.

The Masonic Temple may seem ominous at first glance. But it’s actually open to the public.

The landmark in Center City turns 150 this year. It attracts about 11,000 visitors and hosts about 125 weddings, corporate gatherings, and other non-Masonic events annually.

“It’s not a secret, forbidden place,” library and museum director Michael G. Comfort said. “It’s a meeting hall, an event venue, and an educational facility with books, artifacts, documents, and artwork.”

Behind the design: Architect James Hamilton Windrim, a Mason, was at the helm. It cost $1.6 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars) to complete the five-story, 97,000-square-foot Romanesque-style structure showcasing Masonic culture and history.

Inside the building: Seven enormous and meticulously maintained meeting halls, each with a distinctive theme such as Egyptian, Renaissance, and Gothic, were designed by George Herzog, also a Mason. These spaces are regularly used for Masonic gatherings as well by visitors who snap selfies against opulent backdrops.

It was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Learn about the temple’s storied history and its challenges for the future, plus how you can attend a free anniversary tour.

The lineup at next weekend’s Roots Picnic at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park has been shaken up. Who’s replacing Diddy as a headliner?

A) Drake

B) Usher

C) Beyoncé

D) Kendrick Lamar

Find out if you know the answer.

🐻 Brainstorming: Names for the twin sloth bear cubs born this week at the Philadelphia Zoo.

🎬 Dreading: Netflix’s incoming crackdown on password sharing.

🗑️ Rummaging: What remains of “Penn Christmas” a.k.a. the trash apocalypse.

Hint: This YouTube star from Ventnor has surfed all 50 states but loves New Jersey best.

AVG BERNY

Think you got it? Email us if you know the answer. We’ll give a shout-out to a reader at random who answers correctly. Cheers to Judy Pidgeon who guessed Wednesday’s answer: American Gladiators.

🎵 Turn on some Tina Turner and have yourself a lovely Friday Jr. We’re almost there.