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These 4 Philly properties just got historic protection

by Michaelle Bond
Philadelphia Historical Commission

National Bank of Olney

Kevin McMahon

5604 N. 5th St. | Built: 1927-28

The building is an example of the shift in the design of neighborhood banks toward the Art Deco style in the late 1920s. Its architects — Simons, Brittain & English — were nationally prominent.

Manayunk Plush Manufacturing Co.

Oscar Beisert

4889 Umbria St. | Built: 1926-27

The former company’s manufacturing building and a power plant are representative of Manayunk’s industrial-era textile economy. A developer plans to build a large apartment project next to these buildings.

Galilee Baptist Church

Philadelphia Historical Commission

459 Roxborough Ave. | Built: 1900-01

The church has been an institution for Black residents in the Roxborough/Manayunk area for 125 years. It “has endured, far removed from the historical epicenter of Philadelphia’s Black community life.”

Tetlow Manufacturing Co.

Annie Liang-Zhou, Liangs Culture

132 N. 10th St. | Built: 1885

This building was once a factory for the cosmetics maker Henry Tetlow, who discovered a non-toxic base for face powders. It also is a “remarkably intact” example of a late-19th century industrial building.

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