Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Spring 2026 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

DeBenneville Burial Ground

Location: 6460 N. Broad Street

Built: 1758

Tucked away in West Oak Lane, the deBenneville Family Burial Ground is one of Philadelphia’s oldest and least-known historic cemeteries. In 1758, Dr. George deBenneville Sr., a London-born preacher of the Universalist Church, purchased 20 acres north of the city and set aside a small cemetery plot. Raised in the English Royal Court, deBenneville came to the American colonies in 1741 seeking religious freedom and introduced Universalism to America.

Following the Battle of Germantown, deBenneville offered space in the family plot for two deceased British officers. Although the original property has been reduced by surrounding road construction, the burial ground survives today, enclosed by its historic stone wall. Over generations, family wills dedicated resources for the cemetery’s care, underscoring its importance as a long-term family memorial.

Placed on the Philadelphia Register of historic Places in 1987, the site was protected from development, but suffered from decades of minimal upkeep under a trust administered by successive banks. In 2024-25, that trajectory began to change. George deBenneville Bell Jr., a direct descendant, emerged as a leading advocate for the site, working to restore proper stewardship and secure the funds his ancestors intended for its maintenance. By gaining control of the trust, Bell led cleanup, documentation, and planning efforts to ensure sustainable, long-term oversight.

The deBenneville Burial Ground is finally moving from neglect toward care. Preserving this rare and intimate link to Philadelphia’s Colonial and Revolutionary-era history demonstrates the lasting impact of family advocacy and responsible stewardship.

Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village

Location: 100 East Penn Square

Built: 1956

For generations of Philadelphians, the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village define the holiday season. Since 1956, the Light Show has transformed the Wanamaker Building’s Grand Court into a spectacle of more than 100,000 lights, projecting snowflakes, ballerinas, and reindeer, set to festive music performed on the world-renowned Wanamaker Grand Organ. Upstairs, Dickens Village invites visitors into a 6,000-square-foot recreation of 1840s London, with 26 scenes from A Christmas Carol that bring a holiday classic to life.

Behind the scenes, sustaining these traditions is an enormous undertaking. The installations rely on decades of institutional knowledge, specialized technicians, and extensive seasonal staffing to safely manage crowds that number in the tens of thousands each day. Together, the Light Show and Dickens Village generate an estimated $30 million in direct and indirect economic impact for Philadelphia each holiday season.

That complexity became a vulnerability in early 2025 when Macy’s closed its Center City store, ending nearly 70 years of retailer stewardship and placing the future of both attractions in doubt. In response, the Philadelphia Visitor Center, working with building owner TF Cornerstone, the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, long-serving technicians, and hundreds of individual donors, stepped in to ensure the traditions continued. A $350,000 fundraising campaign successfully brought both attractions back for the 2025 holiday season.

Although the Light Show and Dickens Village will pause during building renovations in 2026 and 2027, their return in 2025 reaffirmed their enduring cultural and civic value to the Philadelphia region.

Maguire Hall, Woodmere Art Museum

Location: 9001 Germantown Avenue

Built: 1853

The opening of the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education marks the most significant moment in Woodmere Art Museum’s history since Woodmere first opened to the public in 1910 and is a major preservation success for Chestnut Hill. The Gothic Revival stone mansion at the corner of Germantown and Sunset Avenues was built in 1853 for industrialist William Henry Trotter and later expanded with Italianate wings by Cope & Stewardson. In 1927, the property was purchased by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, who used it for nearly a century as a school and residence, most recently known as St. Michael’s Hall.

Although listed as a contributing property within the Chestnut Hill National Register Historic District, the building lacked local historic designation and faced an uncertain future when the Sisters put it up for sale. That changed in 2021, when Woodmere, located down the block, acquired the mansion and its 4-acre grounds.

Woodmere committed to a preservation-driven expansion rooted in adaptive reuse. Former parlors and bedrooms have been sensitively transformed into 14 new galleries featuring contemporary Philadelphia artists, illustration arts, and a new Jewelry Vault. The acquisition also expanded Woodmere’s outdoor grounds to 10 acres, adding sculptures, gardens, and public green spaces that reinforce the museum’s mission.

Renamed in honor of artist and benefactor Frances M. Maguire, the building now serves as a vibrant cultural anchor, giving the historic architecture a renewed purpose while safeguarding it for future generations.

---

---