They came to Cliveden from as far as Trenton last week to talk about neighborhood preservation.

The public forum was hosted by Cliveden of the National Trust, the second of three programs in the second series of "Cliveden Conversations." (For more information on the lecture series, click here.)

A major goal of the conversations is to reconsider “how to expand and tell” the broader story of the legacy of racism and the struggle for freedom represented by Cliveden, according to Executive Director David Young.

Last week's presentation was titled “Neighborhood Preservation: A Way to Fight Blight.”

“Now I have hope,” noted one of the participants after the presentation by Melissa Jest, who is the neighborhood preservation program coordinator for the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

Cliveden’s mission is, in part, to encourage preservation of houses, grounds and collections, according to Cliveden’s director of education, Richard Fink.

Renewal is no longer just for mansions, explained Jest. 

“We need to adjust our definition to include a North Philadelphia row home,” she said. “It’s about finding what’s meaningful to the neighborhood—shared history, cultural memories.”

She led participants through a discussion of the various meanings of blight. Soon afterward, she talked about how blight provides opportunities for renewal. An historical marker, for example, was established to recognize Germantown as the site of the first American protest against Negro slavery in 1688. Renewal can also take the form of intergenerational projects—like young students documenting the memories of elders.

Boy Scout Troop #358, for example, cleaned out the servants’ quarters at Cliveden. 

The idea is to use history to motivate people to care about and to invest in their property.

For people interested in fighting blight with preservation, Jest enumerated a number of tools and resources, like the Vital Neighborhoods Initiative. Partnerships make the challenges less daunting, according to Jest.

In addition to the homeowner assistance and technical support provided by her organization, one of the most valuable resources to renewal and blight prevention is neighborhood engagement, Jest said. Face-to-face outreach with residents builds neighborhood capacity, according to conversation facilitator Tom Gordon. 

“Hot dogs and Kool-Aid get the people out and talking,” Jest agreed

Shirley Morrell-Carlton grew up in Mt. Airy and attended the event. She talked about how many people pass by Cliveden but have never been inside the property. That’s changing, she said, because of programs like this and because of its expanded appreciation of the role of African American slaves who lived and worked on the site. 

Cliveden is a “comprehensive, multicultural historical site,” she said.