This historic house at Valley Forge National Historical Park will serve as a party venue for the next decade/NPS.
An estate house on the grounds of Valley Forge National Historical Park that dates to the 1700s will serve as a party venue for the next decade under a contract the National Park Service signed.
The Park Service, which initially had sought bids for a five-year lease for the Philander Chase Knox house and adjacent grounds, signed the longer term pact with Valley Forge Park Events LLC. Terms were not released.
Following a limited rehabilitation, which will include painting, furnishing, and ensuring ADA access, Valley Forge Park Events will operate the house as an event venue. As part of the lease, a large tent will be erected adjacent to the house and stay in place for the seven-month event season beginning in April and ending in October of each year, the Park Service said.
The house is located just off of Yellow Springs Road near the covered bridge over Valley Creek. Before becoming part of the park, it was owned by Philander Chase Knox, a lawyer, bank director and politician who served as United States Attorney General, U.S. Secretary of State, and a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania in the early 20th century.
The Park Service leased the Philander Chase Knox house to generate income to preserve it and other sites within Valley Forge National Historical Park, and also to increase access to a house that is generally closed to the public. The park's library will remain within the house and will continue to be open to researchers by appointment.
Valley Forge Park Events is a company formed by The Party Center and Robert Ryan Catering and Design, both of Phoenixville, PA.
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Years ago, in 1971, to be exact, I was privileged to attend the 13th Annual Seminar for Historical Administrators held in Williamsburg, Virginia. Co-sponors of the six-week conference included Colonial Williamsburg, Inc., and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Fellows stayed in the dorms of the College of William and Mary. I was in between my M.A. and Ph.D., as were most of my distinguished peers. It was an eye-opener in every respect, and yes, probably half of the conference dealt in some way with the issue here: How can we save historical properties unless we can make them pay?
Every time we got "idealistic"--the public should want to pay--one of the faculty would rein us in. Well, here is what happened to such and such property using that argument. Now, are you sure you don't want to rethink that? Right next door, there was always Colonial Williamsburg to show us how history COULD pay. But yes. The streets had to be paved; mud and horse manure were out. Both may have been more "authentic," but the public would not pay for them. There was only so far "back" the public wished to go.
Every time I read a story like this, I remind myself of my culture. We have saved far more by being smart about these things than those calling for "authenticity" wish to admit. We can just imagine those upcoming "events"--the weddings, bar mitzvahs, corporate conferences, etc., that seek out venues such as this.
This is to bring us back to Harry Butowsky's op-ed the other day. Calling on us to reevaluate the system, this is what he means. If Congress expands the system without funding those new units, this is how the Park Service will wind up paying for them. Of course, I do hope we can avoid the weddings on Little Round Top, although I hear that the view and the parking are great.