Expressing the gratitude and appreciation of City Council to the Philadelphia Historical Commission for designating the City Council Chamber as an historic interior.

WHEREAS, On June 18, 2009, Philadelphia City Council approved Bill No. 080527, which empowered the Philadelphia Historical Commission to designate the public interior portions of buildings as historic; and

WHEREAS, A designation from the Historical Commission protects spaces or structures from being physically altered by requiring Commission approval of any building plans prior to permits for the work being issued by the City; and

WHEREAS, The City Council Chamber was constructed in 1895, remodeled in 1907, and remained largely unaltered until restoration work in 2002; and

WHEREAS, The City Council Chamber was designed by noted architect W. Bleddyn Powell and has been the backdrop of virtually all legislative activity in Philadelphia for the last century; and

WHEREAS, With generous support from The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, a nomination was prepared for the City Council Chamber to be designated a historic interior. This nomination included a detailed history of the room and the historically significant fixtures within it; and

WHEREAS, At its meeting on November 12, 2010, the Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the designation of the City Council Chamber, making the Chamber the first historic interior in Philadelphia to be protected under the new law; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That City Council hereby expresses its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Philadelphia Historical Commission for designating the City Council Chamber as a historic interior and preserving the character and physical integrity of this hallowed space for generations to come.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Philadelphia Historical Commission as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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