West Chester’s 13th Preservation Awards
More projects and people to celebrate

Among the many ways West Chester celebrates what makes it a special place to live, work and visit is through the annual Preservation Awards. Presented for the past 13 years, these awards recognize the ongoing efforts of civic-minded property owners to restore and rehabilitate the Borough’s historic fabric as well as to thoughtfully accommodate necessary change. Additional awards recognize special contributions by individuals and organizations.
Presented by the West Chester Downtown Foundation, this year’s awards highlighted four Bricks and Mortar Award winners and, for the first time, two, rather than a single, Special Recognition Award winners. The Preservation Awards Program started in 2008, and the popular program has grown ever since.
Here are the most recent winners that demonstrate the value and power of preservation and its impact on the architecture, streetscapes and life in West Chester.
Brick and Mortar Awards

The Bricks and Mortar Awards recognize a wide variety of construction projects that demonstrate the creative ways best preservation practices can be used to preserve, restore or rehabilitate historic buildings and their settings. There were four award recipients for 2024.
9 Prime (1912), Adaptive Reuse, 9 North High Street. 9 Prime won in recognition of the owners’ exemplary rehabilitation of the Neo-Classical-style First Bank of West Chester into an elegant restaurant and speakeasy. The adaptive reuse preserved the exterior’s historic fabric, with its marble Ionic columns and its part in West Chester’s classically inspired architectural core on North High Street. The interior design preserved the bank’s historic character yet inserted modern elements to accommodate the new use. This project clearly demonstrates how a significant building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, can retain its original grandeur while being sensitively rehabilitated for a new commercial use.

Curtis Hoopes Hannum House (1887), Restoration, 322 North Matlack Street. The Hannum House was recognized for the owners’ careful restoration of this 1887 Stick-style Victorian house. When the owners purchased the property in 2023, it was in need of significant maintenance both inside and out. On the exterior, windows were refurbished, gutters and downspouts were added, roof shingles and flashings were replaced, and the elaborate woodwork was repainted in a pleasing modern version of its traditional color scheme. Repairs and renovations made to the interior included revising the apartment floor plans for single-family occupancy and removing the baseboard heating system, which revealed original tall baseboards. This project is a fine example of the restoration of a distinctive Victorian-era mansion.

House (c. 1900) Renovation, 631 North Matlack Street. This project won its award in recognition of its owners’ thoughtful renovation and additions, which restored the exterior of the house, replaced the roofing, and cleaned and restored the “Valley Forge White” stone foundation. At the same time, a new addition was constructed to increase the footprint of the house, while minimizing the visual impact — a new garage, pool and patio were added at the rear of the property. A new addition was built of matching local stone and included compatible new windows and locally sourced wood flooring. This project is an excellent example of how a historic building can be expanded for modern living without sacrificing its historic integrity and respecting and improving the character of a residential neighborhood.
Dower House (c. 1755) Renovation, 100 Goshen Road. The Dower House was recognized for the owners’ creative renovation of and addition to one of the most well-known and the oldest continuously occupied house in West Chester, which R. Bognard Okie modernized in the 1920s. The 21st-century renovation included constructing a new entry foyer with mudroom, powder room and staircase, restoring the butler’s pantry, and upgrading existing heating and electrical systems. A two-story rear ell, made from stone taken from the house’s core, was added, creating a new kitchen, dining area and bedroom suite. Much of the existing stone, doors, hardware, cabinets and millwork were reused in the new addition. This project is a prime example of how collaboration among architects, craftspeople and owners can produce a project combining a modern lifestyle with the charm and character of an iconic historic home.
Special Recognition Awards
These awards recognize contributions that increase understanding of the history of West Chester and of the importance of preserving the physical evidence of that history. For the first time, two awards were given.

John Suplee, Artist, was presented with a Special Recognition Award for his long career and large body of work providing a visual record of the Borough’s history through his paintings of streetscapes, characteristic buildings and everyday details of West Chester and the surrounding area. Over his 50-year career, John’s relatable and timeless paintings chronicle everything from well-known landmarks to little-known resources. Many of his paintings provide the only record of resources that have been lost over time. By continuously providing fresh perspectives of the Borough’s architecture and streetscapes, John reminds us of the importance of appreciating its historic character and preserving this special town.

Timlyn (Tim) Vaughan, Photographer, was also presented with a Special Recognition Award, this one for his unique, creative and evocative photographs of West Chester. The distinctive character of his images chronicle everything from well-known features of West Chester’s built environment to lesser-known and hidden details. In addition to being part of private collections, his work is in the permanent collections of the Hotel Warner, Chester County Hospital and the Chester County Courthouse. Tim has also played an important public service role promoting art throughout the Borough, including as a founding member of the West Chester Borough Public Arts Commission, a mentor to emerging artists and the official photographer for these Preservation Awards. Throughout his career, Tim has demonstrated that preserving West Chester’s historic fabric is closely aligned to the preserving and promoting the arts.
For 2025
The upcoming 14th Preservation Awards will kick off April 10 this year, when nominations open for 2025, and close June 10. Nomination forms and rules are available at the Downtown West Chester office or online at DowntownWestChester.com. Winners will be announced in July, and the Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday, October 16, 2025.
Please help recognize projects that have enhanced West Chester’s historic character by submitting a nomination!
Jane E. Dorchester has worked in the preservation field since 1983, specializing in historic property research, historic resource inventories and surveys, and National Register nominations. In 2001, she received a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and currently runs a historic preservation consulting firm located in East Goshen Township.
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