13 Historic Germantown sites just landed $78K ‘to make a visible difference’

Thanks to a $100,000 boost from two donors in 2015, the Sustaining Our Cities Fund has some extra cash to burn.

Historic Germantown, an organization that serves 16 historic sites in Philadelphia’s Old German Township, launched its fund in 2014. The mission of the fund, which draws 10 percent of the organization’s annual benefit proceeds, is to pay for preservation, repair and maintenance projects for the organization’s sites.

(Courtesy photo)

Now, 13 of those historic Germantown sites are about to get $6,000 each, for an overall $78,000 polish — and right in time. The sites house community programs and are hubs for outreach initiatives, but many are “headed for serious disrepair and loss of historic fabric,” according to the organization.

To apply, sites had to submit “before” photos (like the one pictured right) and agree to send a progress report on their preservation efforts, followed by — you guessed it — an “after” photo.

The grants are all restricted, according to Historic Germantown Executive Director Trapeta Mayson. The money will only go toward exterior work, improvements and restoration “specific to the project outlined in [applicants’] grant requests.”

“Their interest was to make a visible difference and address issues that impact historic treasures and their benefit to the community,” Mayson said.

There’s an array of restoration work that will go on between the 13 sites — Wyck House will use its new funds to repair stucco damage, while Stenton will restore the wood in its greenhouse and Historic Rittenhouse will install new signs.