WINDOWS INTO HISTORY

2024 Townie Award Winner

Windows Into History: Explore Historic Ardmore

Windows Into History: Explore Historic Ardmore is a “pop-up museum” collaboration between the Ardmore Initiative, the Lower Merion Historical Society, Lower Merion Conservancy, and The Township of Lower Merion.

The Ardmore Initiative Streetscape Committee wanted to create a more inviting downtown shopping, dining, and pedestrian experience, in a way that could speak to the whole community, and would go beyond mere, uh, window dressing. We decided to convert vacant storefront windows into a cohesive, informative, and (I hope) aesthetically pleasing celebration of Downtown Ardmore’s history.

So now, after months of research, through binders and binders of archival photos and documents, we're installing our multi-panel posters showcasing a treasure trove of historic photos and stories, some site-specific, some general, depending on location. Passers-by can read about Ardmore's 150-year history, and view these amazing archival photos at (or near) their historic locations.

It's been a ton of work, but absolutely worthwhile. I've learned so much about my adopted town and got the chance to meet and work closely with people both knowledgeable and passionate about the community. If you're in Downtown Ardmore, take a look around.

(Giant extra thank you and congratulations to my good friend Jane Murray who’s been the driving force behind making this idea a reality. Thanks also to sub-committee co-chair Jamie Singer, Kate Jiggins, Dennis Montagna, Erin Vintinner Betley, Greg Prichard, Kathleen Abplanalp, and everyone else involved. Oh, and a hearty tip of a wide-brimmed hat to my old pal Scott E. Randolph, Ph.D. whose Instagram feed (@the_doctor_randolph) was absolutely among the inspirations for this.)

WINDOWS INTO HISTORY

RITTENHOUSE PLACE: A Continuing Story

For our latest and biggest Windows Into History installation, we had to get creative.

Mapes Hardware had been a community institution for generations. It was a cornerstone of Rittenhouse Place, a retail and apartment development built in Ardmore in the 1920s.

Incoming tenant Gopuff wanted the community to know they'd be a worthy successor, with a sincere commitment to and investment in the neighborhood. They loved our project, and saw a unique opportunity to connect. They offered us all twelve giant windows of their newly renovated building to use as they prepared to open.

We saw a unique opportunity to tell the complex story of the Rittenhouse Place development. How it was built on a plot of land originally intended for a park and civic center. How its design was informed by the City Beautiful movement. How it lost its way by the 90s but has been revitalized since by various civic initiatives and partnerships. We wanted to make it relevant to current conversations about public spaces, while remaining as objective and academic as possible. But with surprisingly few historic photos of the street to use as we'd done on previous posters, our options were limited.

After months of frustrating research, we hit upon the idea of telling the story with archival Mueller Property Atlas maps (and ultimately a modern Google Earth satellite image). The 12-poster installation brings the story from the beginning of the 20th Century to the development’s early days circa 1930 through the turn of the 21st Century and up to the present day using the repeated but ever-evolving geometry of the original "Becker Lot" boundaries. A simple consistently placed "you are here" pin places passers-by in the midst of the narrative.

It's bold and graphic and rhythmic and compelling. The limitations became the strength.

And, for me, an important facet of this project has been the idea that, by sharing these stories on the street, “in situ,” passers-by could see themselves as part of a continuous history, and they might imagine and reflect on how they can create new possibilities today. The properties, and businesses that come to occupy them, could become, inherently, part of the story. I think this installation in particular exemplifies that idea.

See them for yourself in person at the old Mapes building at Rittenhouse & Athens Ave in Ardmore, PA.

Thanks again to all the individuals and organizations who spent countless hours making this possible, and special thanks to GoPuff for letting us use their windows and access the old Mapes building.