Public Benches in the Works for William Allen Square Public seating is coming to William Allen Square on Germantown Avenue. From left, carpenter Daniel Husted joins project supporter Robert Elfant, Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia President Dr. Phillip Krey, project originator Elise Rivers, project supporter Ken Weinstein and Mt. Airy Business Association Executive Director Kim Miller to announce the coming improvements to the community space. By PATRICK COBBS Staff Writer The chairs were rickety and the air was cold in William Allen Square on Friday, February 5, but representatives of the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District (BID), the Mt. Airy Business Association (MABA) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) had good news to share. The precarious perches were part of the point. “We are here to make sure that we never have to sit on these ugly chairs again,” said BID President Ken Weinstein. He organized the event (and brought the chairs) to announce new public seating in the square at 7301 Germantown Avenue. BID member Elise Rivers, owner of Community Acupuncture of Mt. Airy, is spearheading the effort. “When I saw that the plaza needed seating, I felt really inspired to give back,” she said. “I feel that I want to give back to all the people in Mt. Airy who have tried to make my business a success as well as give back to the community in general.” So Rivers gave the first donation of $4,000 to the custom seating project, which is set to be done by summer, and she recruited Germantown craftsman Daniel Husted to the task. Since then Weinstein has kicked in an additional $1,000, and so has Robert Elfant, president of Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, and Charles Edward Hillis, owner of Domus Construction in Germantown, bringing the total for the plaza seating project to $7,000 so far. According to everyone at the outdoor meeting, this kind of collaborative effort typifies relations between the Seminary and the Mt. Airy business and residential communities. “I think we’re part of a mutual admiration society in Mt. Airy,” said LTSP President Dr. Philip Krey. “We all help each other.” In fact, LTSP built the square in 2008 and 2009, in part, to help. It was part a $3 million improvement project for the school’s chapel. Two of the primary goals for the project were to create a gateway between the campus and the business district of Mt. Airy, as well as to provide a functional public space for the community, something many felt Mt. Airy lacked. The design for the square included elements suggested by local community development group, Mt. Airy USA, and local officials secured $500,000 in grants to cover its construction. Since its official dedication in September of 2009, the square has already found use as a public space. In December it was the site for a Christmas tree lighting, and talk for possible future uses has included outdoor concerts, movies and most recently a farmers market. MABA is in exploratory discussions with Weavers Way Coop about expanding its farmers market to the William Allen Square, according to MABA Executive Director Kim Miller. Elise Rivers and Daniel Husted are trying to keep all these possibilities in mind as they design the custom seating for the square. Husted recently took an historic tour of the LTSP campus and found some distinctive antique tables in the Library that could provide some key design elements to include in the seating. He also wants to incorporate an iron work element that will pick up on the cast iron details that are so common to Mt. Airy properties. An equal consideration is permanence. Husted wants to make sure his work will be a long-lasting part of the plaza. “Because these are outdoors, we have to be really concerned with maintenance and how things will weather,” Husted said. “We don’t want to have things that will fall apart in a few years.” In addition to the seating on the lower level of the plaza, Rivers is also exploring an installation of tables for people to use on the upper portion near the chapel entrance, she said, so people can look down on the larger section of the square during those community events. “I’m looking forward to the day that we can all come and enjoy the seating in the plaza,” she said.

Public Benches in the Works for William Allen Square

Public seating is coming to William Allen Square on Germantown Avenue. From left, carpenter Daniel Husted joins project supporter Robert Elfant, Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia President Dr. Phillip Krey, project originator Elise Rivers, project supporter Ken Weinstein and Mt. Airy Business Association Executive Director Kim Miller to announce the coming improvements to the community space.

By PATRICK COBBS

Staff Writer

The chairs were rickety and the air was cold in William Allen Square on Friday, February 5, but representatives of the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District (BID), the Mt. Airy Business Association (MABA) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) had good news to share. The precarious perches were part of the point.

“We are here to make sure that we never have to sit on these ugly chairs again,” said BID President Ken Weinstein.

He organized the event (and brought the chairs) to announce new public seating in the square at 7301 Germantown Avenue. BID member Elise Rivers, owner of Community Acupuncture of Mt. Airy, is spearheading the effort.

“When I saw that the plaza needed seating, I felt really inspired to give back,” she said. “I feel that I want to give back to all the people in Mt. Airy who have tried to make my business a success as well as give back to the community in general.”

So Rivers gave the first donation of $4,000 to the custom seating project, which is set to be done by summer, and she recruited Germantown craftsman Daniel Husted to the task. Since then Weinstein has kicked in an additional $1,000, and so has Robert Elfant, president of Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, and Charles Edward Hillis, owner of Domus Construction in Germantown, bringing the total for the plaza seating project to $7,000 so far.

According to everyone at the outdoor meeting, this kind of collaborative effort typifies relations between the Seminary and the Mt. Airy business and residential communities.

“I think we’re part of a mutual admiration society in Mt. Airy,” said LTSP President Dr. Philip Krey. “We all help each other.”

In fact, LTSP built the square in 2008 and 2009, in part, to help. It was part a $3 million improvement project for the school’s chapel. Two of the primary goals for the project were to create a gateway between the campus and the business district of Mt. Airy, as well as to provide a functional public space for the community, something many felt Mt. Airy lacked. The design for the square included elements suggested by local community development group, Mt. Airy USA, and local officials secured $500,000 in grants to cover its construction.

Since its official dedication in September of 2009, the square has already found use as a public space.

In December it was the site for a Christmas tree lighting, and talk for possible future uses has included outdoor concerts, movies and most recently a farmers market. MABA is in exploratory discussions with Weavers Way Coop about expanding its farmers market to the William Allen Square, according to MABA Executive Director Kim Miller.

Elise Rivers and Daniel Husted are trying to keep all these possibilities in mind as they design the custom seating for the square. Husted recently took an historic tour of the LTSP campus and found some distinctive antique tables in the Library that could provide some key design elements to include in the seating. He also wants to incorporate an iron work element that will pick up on the cast iron details that are so common to Mt. Airy properties.

An equal consideration is permanence. Husted wants to make sure his work will be a long-lasting part of the plaza.

“Because these are outdoors, we have to be really concerned with maintenance and how things will weather,” Husted said. “We don’t want to have things that will fall apart in a few years.”

In addition to the seating on the lower level of the plaza, Rivers is also exploring an installation of tables for people to use on the upper portion near the chapel entrance, she said, so people can look down on the larger section of the square during those community events.

“I’m looking forward to the day that we can all come and enjoy the seating in the plaza,” she said.

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