Discovering Chestnut Hill Series
Pastorius Park and Its Neighborhood: An Unlikely and Serendipitous Gift of the Automobile Age
In-Person Walking tour with Rob Fleming
Meet outside the Water Tower Recreation Center, 209 E Hartwell Lane
Early in the 20th Century, the City of Philadelphia made region-wide plans that included a large intersection of three parkways in the heart of Chestnut Hill. Condemnation and clearing opened the ground for the grand intersection— a traffic circle. But World War I interrupted the work. At that point, the community was not yet settled in its final form; if the project had continued Chestnut Hill would have lost its village character.
Pastorius Park, a jewel of American landscape design, is one of many uncoordinated but fortuitous developments that as a whole give Chestnut Hill the character of a well-planned community. Join Landscape Architect Rob Fleming as we explore Pastorius Park and the remaining traces of what might have been.
TOUR SAFETY PROTOCOL
In order to ensure the safety of participants and guides, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy has implemented the following procedures for in-person walking tours.
All participants and guides, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear face masks that cover their mouth and nose at all times during the tour.
All participants and guides, regardless of vaccination status, must maintain six feet of distance from anybody outside of their household at all times during the tour.
Tickets must be purchased in advance of the tour.
Tours will be limited to 10 participants.
Tours will feature individual audio systems that transmit from a microphone worn by the guide to receivers and headphones worn by participants. All audio system equipment is sanitized before and after each use. Participants are welcome to use their own headphones—please note: only wired headphones using a standard headphone plug are compatible with the audio system.