The Vision - Preseving an Art Deco gem

1616 Latimer Street will be an early twentieth-century building restored and maintained for twenty-first century women. It reflects the cosmopolitan aspirations of its founders - women who selected cutting-edge modern architecture to embody their ideals. The Fund’s vision is to ensure that the building’s architectural integrity is preserved and maintained, while it functions as a comfortable, gracious, and welcoming place for members, guests, and the public.

 

Historic Designation 

​1616 Latimer Street was listed on the National Register of Historic as a Contributing Property to the Historic Rittenhouse Square District in 1983. By including the property in this listing, the National Register endorses its preservation among the “historic sites of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States” (National Historic Preservation Act, 1966).  

 

In 1995, the Philadelphia Historical Commission listed 1616 Latimer Street on the Philadelphia register of Historic Place as a contributing property to the City’s Rittenhouse-Fitler Square Historic District. In its listing, the City noted that the building greatly enhances the streetscape of the 1600 block of Latimer Street, thanks to its contribution of distinctive Art Deco architecture at a residential scale (Source: George Thomas, Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form, 1980).

 

The Rittenhouse Square Historic District (1983), of which 1616 Latimer Street is a part, is recognized by the National Register as the only continuously occupied and preserved affluent neighborhood in the United States.  It is characterized by signature buildings by several prominent architects and interior designers, including private clubs, such as 1616 Latimer Street.

​