Ridge Park Civic Association (RPCA) is committed to historic preservation as a key part of its mission. Among our preservation accomplishments is the historic designation of the 300 block of Gates Street in 2022 as a historic district by the Philadelphia Historical Commission.
We now have another big win for historic preservation within our boundaries. At its October 10, 2025 meeting, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the addition of 13 Ridge Avenue properties nominated by RPCA to be included in the Ridge Avenue Roxborough Thematic Historic District. The Historic District, which was designated in 2018, runs the 5-mile length of Ridge Avenue from Wissahickon through Upper Roxborough and Andorra. With the addition of these properties, there are now 199 historically designated parcels on Ridge Avenue, built between 1681 and 1908, when the Walnut Lane Bridge was constructed.
The 13 new property addresses are as follows:
6600, 6602, 6906, 6908, 7238, 7350, 7535, 7537, 7611, 7613, 7615, 7617, and 8113 Ridge Avenue.
Many thanks to the RPCA’s Historic Preservation Committee – Marlene Schleifer, Cheryl Feldman, Eric Peterson, Erin Witzel, Sara Stroman, Georgie Gould (President, Roxborough, Manayunk, Wissahickon Historical Society), Tina Krovetz and Marianne Banbor – for their extensive research efforts and also to Allyson Mehley, a staff member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission, for her guidance and for shepherding the nomination process to a successful conclusion. Thanks as well to the other area Civic Associations, local businesses, and neighbors for supporting this effort.
To learn more about the benefits of historic preservation, check out the Preservation Alliance report, Growing Through Preservation: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Philadelphia, that quantifies how preservation drives Philadelphia’s economy, housing, and community vitality.
https://preservationalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Philadelphia-HP-EIR-10.17.2025.pdf
