Honoring and Congratulating the Friends Housing Cooperative on its 2016 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Community Involvement Award from Preservation Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Friends Housing Cooperative, located in the East Poplar neighborhood of North Philadelphia, was founded in 1952 by Quakers with a mission of creating affordable, urban housing for a diverse community. Being a co-op, it is a corporate entity used to purvey homeownership to its shareholders; and

WHEREAS, It is collectively owned by resident members who work together for the continual prosperity of the complex. The corporation owns the physical real estate and the individual shareholder possesses the right to occupy a designated unit within the co-op; and

WHEREAS, Listed on the national Register of Historic Places on October 13, 2015, Friends Housing Cooperative encompasses an entire City block of 1850's brick townhomes, surrounding landscaped grounds with courtyard. The complex is composed of 83 uniquely designed 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units; and

WHEREAS, On October 14, 2016, the Friends Housing Cooperative will receive the Community Involvement Award from Preservation Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards Ceremony in York, Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS Preservation Pennsylvania was established by the Commonwealth's General Assembly in 1982 as the Preservation Fund of Pennsylvania, a statewide revolving fund to assist in the acquisition and rehabilitation of historic properties. Since then, Preservation Pennsylvania has grown into its role as a private, nonprofit membership organization with a statewide mission to protect and preserve Pennsylvania's irreplaceable historic places; and

WHEREAS, To date, Preservation Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth's only private statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people protect and preserve the historic places that matter to them; and

WHEREAS, Presented each fall by Preservation Pennsylvania, the annual awards recognize significant contributions in the field of historic preservation made by both individuals and organizations. Recognition encompasses the categories of preservation initiatives, construction and archaeology projects. Pennsylvania's highest honor, the F. Otto Haas Award, is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to preservation made by an individual or group; and

WHEREAS, This year's award event will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in October 1966; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and congratulate the

Friends Housing Cooperative on its 2016 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Community Involvement

Award from Preservation Pennsylvania.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be delivered to the Friends Housing Cooperative as evidence of the sincere appreciation of this Legislative body.

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