BCA was the Historic Preservation Tax Credit (HPTC) consultant for the adaptive reuse of a rowhouse at 1307 Locust Street in Philadelphia, PA. The house, constructed in 1851, had been used since 1906 by the New Century Guild (NCG), a women’s membership organization that provides support to women in the labor force. The NCG used the building as a headquarters and clubhouse in virtually the same manner for over 100 years with very few modifications. In 1993, the building was selected as a prime example of a site of importance to women’s history in the United States, and subsequently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark. The building retains a high degree of exterior and interior architectural integrity. The adaptive reuse project transformed the rowhouse into an extended-stay hotel while retaining much of the existing historical elements.

BCA was selected to provide consulting services and to prepare the application for both Federal and State level HPTCs. This effort included comprehensive photo-documentation throughout the building before and after construction. In addition, BCA coordinated with the design architect to review and comment on the proposed new design prior to the application’s submission in order to ensure that the design appropriately retained the building’s significant historical features. BCA prepared the full HPTC application and coordinated with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to determine and avoid potential concerns that the SHPO or National Park Service may have had with the design.