Precious Places Community History Project 2011 Premiere

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Presented in Partnership with the Philadelphia International Festival for the Arts (PIFA)

Join us for a celebration of eight new works, co-produced by Scribe and community groups from the Philadelphia region.

The Precious Places Community History Project brings together neighborhood groups, independent videographers affiliated with Scribe, and humanities scholars to understand how the history of specific sites in the Philadelphia region have defined neighborhoods and affected the lives of local residents. Since last summer, eight groups in the Philadelphia area have explored local archives, interviewed community elders, and edited their extraordinary neighborhood histories into 8-minute videos.

This year, the Precious Places series will premiere as part of the Kimmel Center’s inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. The eight neighborhood documentaries will be joined by a special commissioned video about James Reese Europe.

Eden Cemetery
As a sacred burial space for African Americans in Collingdale, Eden’s rich history includes a complicated relationship with neighboring residents. Produced by Friends of Eden

Former Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity House
The house at 1007 Belmont Avenue was a cornerstone for its neighborhood and the city during fifty years of civil rights struggles. Produced by the Calhoun Family and Philadelphia Alumni Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

High School Park
After a fire destroyed a former high school in Cheltenham, neighbors came together to restore the site’s native ecosystem. Produced by Friends of High School Park

Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore
A community remembers the character and traditions that have shaped the neighborhood since the Great Migration. Produced by HBNS Precious Places Team

King’s Highway Bridge
A 333-year-old bridge has witnessed the Revolutionary War, the founding of Holmesburg and countless seasons in the Pennypack. Produced by Friends of Pennypack Park and Holmesburg Civic Association

La Mott Community Garden
La Mott’s colorful history is remembered in a fight to save its 80-year-old community garden from developers. Produced by La Mott Community Garden Group

The Lazaretto
Descendants of immigrants and travelers who were held at the Lazaretto reflect on the former hospital’s years as a quarantine facility. Produced by Lazaretto Preservation Association of Tinicum Township

Nile Swim Club
Facing discrimination at the local swimming pool, African Americans in Yeadon built a new, non-segregated swim club in 1958. Produced by Nile Swim Club

James Reese Europe
Before leading an African American military band in France during World War One, James Reese Europe recorded with Camden's Victor Talking Machine Company and performed at venues across the region, popularizing ragtime, syncopated rhythms and the precursors to jazz.

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The Precious Places Community History Project is made possible with support by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, Hamilton Family Foundation, Best Buy Children's Foundation, and the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, inspired by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts www.PIFA.org.