❄️ Philly gets bomb cycloned

Appeals Court Halts Restoration of President’s House Exhibit

After National Park Service workers began reinstalling the slavery exhibit at the President’s House, Third Circuit Judge Thomas M. Hardiman overruled an earlier order, stating no more exhibit materials need to be reinstalled at this time, but also barred the Trump administration from replacing panels. Only 16 of 34 exhibits were restored before the Feb. 20 deadline. The case is still ongoing. [🔒 The Inquirer]

Why Are We Paying for Shapiro’s Home Upgrades?

After an assassination attempt on Gov. Shapiro’s life last spring, several security improvements were made to the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg. But despite all the changes to make the residence safer, Shapiro still spends time at his home in Montgomery County, and $1 million has been invested in upgraded security measures there. But should taxpayers be covering such expenses on private property? [🎧 City Cast Philly]

Landlord Group Attempts To Kill Legislation Preventing Retaliatory Evictions

Speaking of homes, Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke is fighting to keep tenants in theirs by expanding “good cause” protections for all renters. Housing advocates say the legislation could protect tenants fearing retaliation for speaking up about poor living conditions, while landlords say it’ll make it harder to remove problematic tenants. [WHYY]

PGW Wants To Expand Its Gas Plant. Residents Aren’t Having It.

Port Richmond neighbors are fired up after Philadelphia Gas Works proposed an expansion to a liquified natural gas facility. Residents are concerned about the health and environmental impacts, while clean energy advocates point out that the proposal doesn’t align with the city’s plans to go carbon neutral. [KYW]

Going Back to the Drawing Board To Fix Market East

Since the 1950s, Philly has been struggling to figure out how to improve Market East. From pedestrianizing Market Street to telling Philly’s history beyond Old City to tearing down a section of the Fashion District for housing, here’s what some Philly urbanists envision for its future. [Hidden City, 🔒 Philly Mag]

• Related: What do you think the future of Market East should be? Neighbors Across Market is hosting a community discussion at Winkel on March 4.

Philadelphia’s yearlong celebration of the nation’s founding is in full swing, culminating in major events this summer. While special attention is paid to Old City, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed, other Philadelphia neighborhoods played a special role in securing democracy.

Germantown may not have been officially part of Philadelphia in 1776, but its role in the American Revolution and beyond is crucial to understanding the history of our city and country. Historic Germantown, a consortium of 20 independent cultural and historical organizations in North and Northwest Philadelphia, is making sure the neighborhood isn’t forgotten amid semiquincentennial festivities.

“A lot of people think of visiting historic sites, and they think of Independence Park or the Museum of the American Revolution,” said Tuomi Forrest, executive director of Historic Germantown. The locations in Germantown “are smaller, but the breadth of history and culture and its authenticity is something you won't experience anywhere else in the region or the country.”

The sites include museums that were once the private homes of families in the 18th century or earlier, historic cemeteries, and an arboretum, all educating about a stretch of history after European settlement.

“On one hand, you can visit a place like Cliveden, and you can see literally the bullet holes and scars in the building from the Battle of Germantown and see the furnishings of the family,” Forrest said. “And you could go down the block and see a place like the Black Writers' Museum, which is a newly created museum, and see original documents and photographs from the Black Arts Movement and the Black Power Movement from just a few decades ago. And you’re really getting that breadth of history.”

In just one neighborhood you can visit a historic one-room schoolhouse, an 18th-century home with the oldest rose garden in the nation, and the Wister family home, where teenage Sally Wister wrote a first-hand account of growing up during the Revolution.

To help Philadelphians and visitors alike experience all that Germantown has to offer, the cultural sites will host expanded programming this year.