West Chester: The Next Great Small Town
Philadelphia may be the Sixth Borough, the Next Great Place, and all that, but let us now cheer West Chester on its designation by the National Trust as one of America's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations." Then, see if you can say that five times fast.
The trust plans to roll out the list tomorrow. We don't know which other towns are on it, but who cares? The borough's 1.8-square-mile grid is crammed with Victorian and Greek Revival architecture, yet has a small-town feel that is increasingly hard to find. Its most famous building is probably the Greek Temple-like courthouse by Thomas U. Walter, who also designed the dome and wings of the U.S. Capitol, Founders Hall at Girard College and quite a few other buildings. (See the entry below on his Mt. Airy country house.) Despite being surrounded by all sorts of weekend tourist destinations, like Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine Museum and a Revolutionary War battlefield, West Chester was off everyone's map until recently. In fact, a few years ago, the Chester County commissioners were all set to raze a big chunk of the downtown. It's just a reminder of how casually America's patrimony gets discarded. Fortunately, the commissioners were brought to their senses, and today West Chester is healthier than ever. Go see it before the bus tours arrive.
The trust plans to roll out the list tomorrow. We don't know which other towns are on it, but who cares? The borough's 1.8-square-mile grid is crammed with Victorian and Greek Revival architecture, yet has a small-town feel that is increasingly hard to find. Its most famous building is probably the Greek Temple-like courthouse by Thomas U. Walter, who also designed the dome and wings of the U.S. Capitol, Founders Hall at Girard College and quite a few other buildings. (See the entry below on his Mt. Airy country house.) Despite being surrounded by all sorts of weekend tourist destinations, like Longwood Gardens, the Brandywine Museum and a Revolutionary War battlefield, West Chester was off everyone's map until recently. In fact, a few years ago, the Chester County commissioners were all set to raze a big chunk of the downtown. It's just a reminder of how casually America's patrimony gets discarded. Fortunately, the commissioners were brought to their senses, and today West Chester is healthier than ever. Go see it before the bus tours arrive.
posted by Inga Saffron at 1:31 PM
2 Comments:
I suppose it's a little late to start complaining, but the headline was actually "The Next Borough?" not THE SIXTH BOROUGH. Christ. Why can't anyone READ.
Dear first commenter, You are correct about the NYT's headline but the story itself did refer to the "sixth borough." Moreoever, the same reference is also in today's Gawker (www.gawker.com). It's clearly proper usage.
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