What’s Inside Hon the€¦ · If you have a clogged kitchen or bathroom drain, do not put Drano...

Message from CouncilPaul Coyne

We are glad to hearfrom Paul Coyne that

the lobby renovation projectis moving “quietly” to its endand congratulate the DesignCommittee on the outcome.But there’s more to his message.

As an old timer at Hopkin -son House and as the editorof this newsletter I am grateful to be reminded byManagement of the manyways there are to disturbneighbors when residing ina highrise building. It wouldhelp to read Manager DavidSmith’s column regularly!

Concha Alborg introducesErnesto Cruz, who moved,during his childhood, to theUnited States from PuertoRico with his parents andsiblings, studied both inthe United States and Spain,and has been a resident ofHopkinson House for thepast 20 years.

Learn more about our menat the Resident ServicesDesk. Terry Kowalski presentsBruce Scott, a family man,who has been at HopkinsonHouse since 1994. He likeshis job; among other thingshe enjoys hard-core rockbands and baseball.

Read how lively and enthusiastic a “20-some-thing” young woman, BeckyKrasley, can be about her

365 days at HopkinsonHouse!

Mindy Bartscherer, despite abroken knee, has been ableto interview some CommitteeChairs and highlight theiraccomplishments.

Lynn Miller takes you throughthe new Museum of theAmerican Revolution. Hesays: “e museum’s creatorswere guided by the story’sdrama, contradictions, andcomplexity, which make vis-iting the museum a fascinat-ing experience for all ages.”

Jim McClelland glimpsesat history by exploring thetombstones of the famousand not so famous right herein the Hopkinson Houseneighborhood. All thesegraveyards offer an educationand a fascinating experience.

David Roberts returns tothe discussion that has beengoing on for over a decade onthe earth’s global warming orclimate change by concludingthat “the current warming isnot something to worry aboutbut an event to celebrate.”

Try Susan Tomita’s FrenchTomato Tart, I tasted it,and it is scrumptious!

Anyone for happy hour?Try Becky Krasley’s WhiteWine-Elderflower Sangria. n

The Newsletter of Hopkinson House • Summer 2017

What’s InsideNelly Childress on the

HOUSE

Attention, Attention, May I have your

attention please…. We haveheard this appeal far toooften in the last severalweeks caused by PECO’selectric power shut-downsfor problems related towiring in a single manhole,and for minor cable repairsin the manholes on South6th Street. is led tochecking manholes asfar as Chestnut Street.

Around May 17th, in orderto give PECO the ability tomake repairs to their lines

along South 6th Street, anonsite emergency generatorwas installed, allowingHopkinson House 24/7 fullpower at the cost of around$40,000 to 60,000/day.

Following those events,a Police car was blocking access to South 6th Street,causing a line of cars andtrucks filing across the frontof Hopkinson House, allmoving impatiently towardsSouth 7th Street, causingbedlam for several hours asservice vehicles were beingmoved to the west curb toallow a single line of trafficto proceed to South 7thStreet. A PECO contractorhad a permit to close South6th Street to begin excava-tion for the installation ofpipes that would containthe wiring for our newswitchgear.

Occasional Photos by David Roberts

continued on Page 3

2 · SUMMER 2017 · ON THE HOUSE

Editorial CommitteeNelly Childress, EditorConcha AlborgMindy BartschererJanet BurnhamPaul CoyneTerry KowalskiBecky KrasleyLynn MillerDavid Roberts

Council LiaisonPaul Coyne

Graphic DesignParallel-Design.com

AdvertisingTerry Kowalski [email protected]

PhotographyDavid Roberts

Issue ContributorsConcha AlborgMindy BartschererPaul CoyneTerry KowalskiBecky KrasleyLynn MillerJim McClellandDavid RobertsDavid SmithSusan Tomita

Hopkinson House [email protected]

WebsiteFind past issues of on theHouse at www.thehopkinson-house.com

Areminder: A TownMeeting will be held

on June 22nd at 7:00 p.m.in the Solarium. We hopeto see you there. Pool sea-son is now upon us.Membership information,pool hours and pool Rulesand Regulations are nowavailable for pick-up at theResident Services Desk.Please be advised that youmust be a full time residentof Hopkinson House inorder to be eligible for single or household mem-bership. Extended familymembers, summer visitors,friends, etc. are not eligibleto become a part of themembership. ese areguests and can only makeuse of the pool facilities bythe purchase of a guest pass

and the unit owner or resi-dent accompanying themto the pool. A day pass willalso allow you to purchaseguest passes.

With the onset of warmweather, more and moreresidents will be using theirbalconies to dine and relax.Please exercise caution whenwatering your outdoorplants. Do not let the wateroverflow the drip pan underthe planter. Do not sweepdirt or water off the bal-cony. Your neighbor belowdoes not want to be dousedwith water or have dirt fallon them or their meal.

ImportantIf you have a cloggedkitchen or bathroom drain,do not put Drano or LiquidPlumber down the drain.Please contact the ResidentServices Desk and request awork order for the mainte-nance department. Besidescausing damage to the pipesand the rubber seal aroundyour garbage disposal (ifthe clog is in the kitchen

sink), it is dangerous tothe maintenance staff whenthey are finally called toclear the clog. is sub-stance is corrosive andwhen they plunge or snakeyour drain, it splashes backonto them and can causeserious injuries to them.

Balcony ReminderDuring any periods of highwinds, all loose or removableobjects, including patio umbrellas must be removedfrom the balconies. Plants,pots, receptacles and othermovable objects are prohib-ited from being placed on ormaintained on the ledges ofthe balconies. e height ofplanters, pots, receptacles andall loose or movable objectsmust be below the height of thebalcony wall. Owners andresidents are prohibited frommounting, installing or otherwise attaching any itemto the the balcony. Ownersand residents may not drillholes or otherwise alter thefaçade of the balcony.

Message from ManagementDavid Smith

A reminder that smokerswho are grandfatheredunder the HopkinsonHouse Smoking Ban maynot smoke on their balconiesor on Hopkinson Houseproperty. You must confineyour smoking to the insideof your units.

At this point in time, rentersare no longer grandfatheredunder the smoking ban whichwent into effect September2012. All leases havereached at least one renewal

period since the ban andRenters are not permittedto smoke anywhere in thebuilding or on the grounds.Owners who bought their unitsafter the ban went into effectand their guests may notsmoke anywhere on Hop kin -son House property, includingthe inside of their units.

We receive many com-plaints about smoke infil-trating units from adjoiningunits and from across thehall. We ask that those

smokers in the buildingwho are grandfatheredunder the ban and continueto smoke in their units beconsiderate of their neigh-bors. If smoke from yourunit is infiltrating the hall-way or another unit, youare required to install an airfiltration system to preventthe smoke and odors frompenetrating other units.

Hopkinson House is a smoke-free building in all of thecommon areas.

Hopkinson House Smoking Ban Reminder

continued on Page 3

ON THE HOUSE · SUMMER 2017 · 3

Message from Council continued from Page 1

Message from Management continued from Page 2

Picture by

Pau

l Coy

ne

As of May 24th, we havebeen informed that wireswere being threadedthrough the new pipes andready to enter our building.PECO will require onemore “Attention, Attention,May I have your attentionplease.”

e lobby renovation project finally received thefurniture ordered monthsago. is project is moving“quietly” to its end, butthere are still more itemsto wrap it up:

1) A shelf for the doorman’sdesk;

2) Several outlets and covers to be installed;

3) Some touch-up paint; 4) Comcast cables for

the “break” room; 5) Back lighting; 6) Two lamps; 7) Addressing some issues

in the cart room; 8) Addressing the shelves

in the mailroom; 9) A proper stool for

the doorman. n

e use of barbecue grills isprohibited in high rise build-ings by order of the Philadel -phia Fire Department.

Deliveries Deliveries are not permittedon Sunday or legal and reli-gious holidays. When order-ing furniture, appliances,etc., please be sure that thecompany you are buyingfrom does not schedule thedelivery on any of these days.

MovingWe are heading into thebusiest moving time of theyear. Please book your mov-ing date as soon as possibleand confirm it with a checkfor $200. Only one move perday is permitted Mondaythrough Saturday betweenthe hours of 10 a.m. and 4p.m. We are sorry that wecannot make exceptions tothis rule. Moves are not permitted on Sundays, legaland religious holidays. Ifyou delay, you may not get

the moving date that youneed. Remember that mostmoves occur on the last dayof the month when leasesexpire, so please plan well inadvance. Moving companiesget booked up as well andmoving dates will be lim-ited. is could cause youadditional expenses if youare unable to move out onyour planned day.

When you have boxes todiscard, please do not leavethem in the trash room.Break the boxes down andcall the resident servicesdesk at 215-923-1776 ext.110 to have housekeepingpick up the boxes.

Noise Complaintse two most commonnoise complaints that we receive are because of uncarpeted units and TVvolume. e HopkinsonHouse Community Rules require all units to have 80%carpeting in the living room,dining room, bedrooms and

halls. e bathroom andkitchen are not required tobe carpeted. Landlords areresponsible for their tenantscomplying with this rule.Exercise equipment shouldnot be used after 10 p.m.or before 8 a.m.

TV volume is to be keptat a level where it does notinterfere with the peace andquiet of neighboring units.If you have difficulty hear-ing a lowered TV, thinkabout investing in a headset for your TV. If you areprone to falling asleep withyour TV on, please remem-ber to set the sleep timer.

And please turn on yourbathroom fans only whenneeded. Leaving them running continuouslycauses the sound to travelto other units and becomesquite annoying.

From Council, Managementand staff at HopkinsonHouse, have a safe and wonderful summer. n

Pipes that will bring power to the switchgear.


Getting to Know Our Neighbors Ernesto Cruz: A World Traveler Concha Alborg

Ernesto Cruz was bornand raised in Puerto

Rico in a close-knit familythat moved to Philadelphiain the 1980s because anuncle was studying for hisPh.D. at Temple University.Ernesto and his siblings attended Bensalem HighSchool, while their fatherworked at Concilio (Councilof Spanish Speaking Organ -izations of Phila del phia),and their mother worked atASPIRA, both non-profitorganizations advocatingfor Philadelphia’s Latinocommunity, providing ac-cess to health, employmentand educational services.

As it often happens withemigrant families, Ernesto’sfamily unit was broken whenhis parents and younger sisters moved back toPuerto Rico. By thenErnesto and his brotherwere attending universityin Philadelphia, where theystayed to finish their studies.Ernesto graduated fromSaint Joseph’s Universitywith a degree in InternationalRelations. It was during histhird year of study abroadin Barcelona, Spain, that hediscovered his love of travel,visiting as many Europeancountries as he could.

In Ernesto’s case, thecliché is true that theapple doesn’t fall far fromthe tree. During his workas an intern, volunteeringwith Latino youth, he metsomeone at Blue CrossBlue Shield, and by thetime he graduated fromSaint Joseph´s Universityhe had a job waiting forhim. Ernesto has workedfor Blue Cross Blue Shieldsince then, for 27 years.Currently he is a sales manager, who overseessmall company accounts.

is is not an easy job,with the ever changing environment in Harrisburgand Washington. Ernestosays that everyone wantsthe best health insurancepossible, with the best technology and medica-tions, but no one wantsto pay for the rising prices.In fact, he doesn’t see anypositive changes comingup in the next few yearsdue to the growing numbersof the aging population.Ernesto has been a residentin the Hopkinson Housefor 20 years and he com-ments how lucky we areto live here within walkingdistance of some of thebest hospitals in the city.

Ernesto and his partnerof 18 years, Gilberto, whois a realtor from Venezuela,also have an apartment inMiami. e two of themlike to travel, to LatinAmerica in particular.Despite the diasporacaused by emigration

and the current troubledtimes in Gilberto’s country,they both stay close to theirfamilies. Ernesto visitedChile with his dad thispast winter and he wentto Puerto Rico to be withhis mother last weekendfor Mother’s Day! n

Picture by

Con

cha Albo

rg

Ernesto Cruz


Resident Pets

David Roberts’s cat Max (1998-2017), photographed lastyear, when he was aged 18. Pets are very good for one’s emotional health. When one has a pet to bond with,care for, and love, one is rarely bored or lonely.

Bruce Scott, A Smiling Face at the Resident Services DeskTerry Kowalski

He has a charmingsmile, genuine

warmth, knows everyone’sname and whether you havea package before you evencheck your mailbox. BruceScott, one of HopkinsonHouse’s wonderful eveningshift attending the ResidentServices Desk, probablyknows a lot more aboutus than we do about him.So we are trying to setthat matter straight by interviewing him for thisissue of the newsletter!

Bruce was born in FortWorth, Texas, but movedto South Philadelphiaat the age of two, andhas lived there since.He has been marriedsince 1972 to his lovelywife, Madeleine, and together they have two children; a son, Angelo anda daughter, Lisa. ey alsoenjoy three grandchildren;Vanessa, Noah and Lucia.

Bruce began his security career in the U.S. Air Forceas an Alarm Monitor at thenow-abandoned March AirForce Base nuclear weaponsstorage facility in Riverside,California. Also during histime in the Air Force, heworked at Edwards AirForce Base, a U.S. militaryfacility full of aerospacefirsts. It was where the soundbarrier was broken andwhere the first space shuttlelanded. In fact, Bruce him-self guarded that first spaceshuttle so closely that hecould have touched it. Hewas also responsible forguarding SR-71 Black birds;long-range, and Mach 3+strategic reconnaissance

aircraft. e SR-71 Black -bird is still the fastest planethat has ever flown andserved an important rolein history as a spy plane.

Returning to Philadelphiaafter his time in the AirForce, Bruce took a jobwith a limousine companyfunneling clients back andforth to the casinos inNew Jersey. He developeda regular booking with several well-heeled and adventurous older womenwho lived in HopkinsonHouse. ey trusted Bruceso much to get them safelyto and from the casinosthat they immediately lethim know when a doorman’s position opened up atHopkinson House.He started working at thefront door on July 21, 1994and has graced us with hissmiling face and pleasantpersonality since then.

In his free time, Bruceloves concerts and baseball.As far as the concerts go,his favorites have beenthe hard-core rock bandsSoundgarden, Led Zep -pelin and Rush. Andwhen it comes to baseball,no matter how they’re playing, he is always loyalto the Phillies. Bruce alsolives for his family and histwo pets: Ronnie, a 7-year-old cockatiel and Poncho,a 5-year-old Chihuahua.In his free time, he oftentakes Poncho to MarconiPark to chase the squirrels.

Bruce insists he’ll never retire and that we’ll “haveto carry him out from behind that desk.” n

Picture by

Dav

id Rob

erts

Bruce Scott

Picture by

Dav

id Rob

erts


Each quarter, we will include updates from

the various HopkinsonHouse Owners Association(HHOA) committees including activities, membership and how to get involved.

Landscape Committee

Co-Chairs: Mindy Silver andLisa Schwab (Council Liaison)

e Landscape Committee’scurrent role is to providerecommendations toManagement and Councilabout external landscaping,specifically the in-groundand in-planter landscape.ere are currently sixmembers on the committee.Members have experienceand expertise ranging frompersonal residential andaward-winning gardening,to Master Gardener designation and, most recently, professional landscape architecture.

Committee members,Management and invitedrepresentatives of compa-nies meet to select season-ally available plants that willfit the established budget.e committee, HopkinsonHouse Management andthe vendor(s) decide onscheduled seasonal updates,while the contracts are negotiated by Council.

e Committee is continu-ally working to improve andbeautify our landscapeareas. So far in 2017 it has

prioritized addressing thecurb appeal of our entrance,the large front planters andtwelve small ones. To thatend, the Committee first developed guidelines foran overall garden plan thatwill suit the architecturaldesign of the building. Next,it expects to interview anumber of new landscapingfirms along with our currentone to submit recommenda-tions for the care of ourlandscape going into 2018,to develop a Master Planfor our courtyard and to address the upper court-yard’s south side emptybeds below the windows.We anticipate that we canupgrade our entire site, andhave the budget that willsupport such a goal.

e Committee is avail-able to collaborate withother HHOA committeesand entities to develop auniform feeling of designand place.

Pool CommitteeChair: Giampaolo Gallo

e Pool Committee, composed of six members,has several functions. isyear the Committee, withHopkinson House Manage -ment, interviewed severalpool companies and madetheir recommendation toCouncil. Before the seasonbegins the Committeemeets with the contractedpool company to reviewneeded changes from lastseason’s and to plan thepresent one.

Of particular importancethis year is the work of thelifeguards. Pool hours wereextended and a number ofother procedural changeswere adopted based on feedback from the 2016Pool Survey Questionnaire.New this year is an empha-sis on the lower deck andpool esthetics.

Dispute ResolutionCommittee (DRC)Chair: Sid Siegel

e dispute ResolutionCommittee does its job inthe shadows and serves tohelp resolve any unwanteddisturbances that often arisein vertical communitiessuch as ours. Typical examples include: noisyneighbors, loud TVs, catsrunning through the hall,smells of smoking and non-rain water drippingon your balcony — suchas neighbors residing inapartments two or fourfloors above your balconydeciding to overwater theirlittle garden unconcernedthat neighbors two or fourfloors below might be enjoy-ing the use of their balcony.

Such nuisances (let’s callthem potential disputes)are typically dealt with bythe Manager and frequentlyresolved in a “neighborlymanner.” When that processdoesn’t work, the issue ispassed on to the DRC,which consists of seven volunteer unit ownerswho have been approvedby Council.

e DRC reviews and investigates such disturbances to try and verify the alleged intensityand frequency of the disturbance. is is oftennot easy to do. It then seeksto work out an acceptableresolution for both sidesof the dispute. is canbe done informally or withthe calling of a hearing withall parties involved. is isnot a hearing in the “legal”sense. It is first, an actionto bring the parties togetherto share their positions,and second, an attempt toconfirm that the disturbanceis a violation of HopkinsonHouse rules and needsto be “fixed.”

Conversely, however, the alleged disturbancemay not be deemed tobe beyond what wouldbe considered acceptable.Examples of this wouldbe that the disturbancewas within normal hoursand should be expectedin our community.

After the hearing, membersof the DRC then vote ona set of recommendationsthat are then presented toCouncil for approval andimplementation with thehelp of the Manager.Such recommendationscan include requests formore neighborly behavior,application of devices to reduce noise, eliminationof non-allowed activities,and possibly fines forrepeat offenses.

e DRC is always looking for volunteers.Do not hesitate to letthe chair know if you are interested! n

Hopkinson House Owners’ Association Committees HighlightsMindy Bartscherer


Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy at Hopkinson HouseBecky Krasley

This summer marks myfirst anniversary with

Hopkinson House, and Icould not be more thrilledwith my decision to callthis place my Philly RentalHome. First, let’s get theobvious reasons ‘why’ outof the way — RooftopPool, Beautiful Park Views,Tenant & Guest ParkingGarage, Laundry Room,Security & MaintenanceStaff. ese were the shinydetails (included in the online rental listing I reviewed) that drew meto visit the building in thefirst place, almost 365 daysago. All wonderful reasonsthat make residing in thisapartment building easyand amazing.

But, let us be honest,these all fall within the‘added luxury’ categorywhen it comes to living necessities, bonuses mostpeople do not have whenit comes to their livingquarters. We are #Blessed*to have these things accessible to us.

Speaking of feeling blessed,that brings me to my next

category of reasons‘why’ I am happy to be atHopkin son House — the“hidden details.” is alsoincludes specifics that werenot included on the onlinerental listing (probably because the listing wouldhave been three pagestoo long to read).

First, the people. I getto see friendly faces allday long and exchange welcoming hellos and kindconversations anywhereI go. Whether I am leavingthe building for work ona dreary Monday, comingin late after a long nightwith friends, or ridingthe elevator to my unit,everyone I encounteris genuine and nice.

Nex, is the House’s character and charm.e building is old andclassic with inviting décorthroughout. e interioris bright and clean, thereare places to rest or waitfor guests, and always-freshflowers. Are those frontdesk flowers not the cutestbouquets you have everseen? Do you ever wonder

how the orchid outsidethe Parking Level elevator stays that bigor bright? All of thesethings add a homey, cozytouch to the buildingmost of us call home.

A few other personal favorite charms of mine include the backyard terrace and fountain, holiday parties in the solarium and timely building update printouts.ese details are the other‘added luxuries’ you can’tput a price tag on, hiddendetails that may go unno-ticed by some or left out ofrental listings; nonetheless,reasons that make me feelhappy and safe to live here.

anks to all of the reasons‘why’ I mentioned, livin’will be easy and most enjoyable this summerat Hopkinson House.I am looking forward totime outside with friendsand having family over tovisit and hope you are too!Here is to the next 365days because I am definitelyrenewing my lease.#Blessed n

A 20-something perspective of livingat Hopkinson House

* #Blessed – a social network tag to summarize a feeling of being fortunate and lucky

Although this is a con -do minium newsletter,

Hopkinson House Owners’Association’s on the House wasone of six finalists in a yearlyNational Neighbor hoodNewsletter Compe titionsponsored by Neighbor -hoods, USA (NUSA). ewinner was our neighbor-hood’s Society Hill Reporter.

Headquartered in FortLauderdale, Florida, NUSAis a national non-profit organization committed tobuilding and strengtheningneighborhood organizations.While NUSA was createdin 1975, 2017 marks the seventh year it has spon-sored a national newsletternompetition. Winners from

this year’s competitionwere announced at its award luncheon onSaturday, May 27th,2017 at the 42ndannual NUSA conferencewhich was held in Omaha,Nebraska. You can readmore about the organiza-tion and its competitionsat www.nusa.org. n

Finalist in National Newsletter Competition: on the House!


The New Museum of the American RevolutionLynn Miller

On a pleasant morningearly in spring, you

might have been attractedby the sound of fife anddrums to investigate thetime warp below you inWashington Square. If youwatched, you’d have seensoldiers in spats and tricornhats turn smartly out of thepark and march east to thecorner of 3rd and ChestnutStreets. Maybe you thoughtho-hum, since you’re soused to such sights in ourhistoric neighborhood. Butthis occasion marked theopening of Philadelphia’slatest museum, the first inthe nation to tell the storyof the American Revolutionin its entirety. e museum’screators were guided bythat story’s drama, contra-dictions, and complexity,which make visiting themuseum a fascinating experience for all ages.Even knowledgeable adultsshould be delighted and informed at the same timechildren are engaged.

e galleries, all on the sec -ond floor, take you on a clearroute from the build-up tothe conflict to the final peaceand the nation’s struggleafter independence to createa viable republic, a periodof more than thirty years.An early highlight is areplica of Boston’s LibertyTree, where citizens gathered to discuss theirgrievances with Britain.en come explorations ofthe insurgents’ setbacks inthe dark days that led to theContinentals’ encampmentat Valley Forge. You canparticipate in the Battle ofBrandywine, complete withthe sound and smell of

gunfire, the tramp of boots,and trembling earth beneath your feet.

Next you explore the conflicts within theAmerican population,rebels facing off against loyalists, even a near civilwar in parts of the South.By the time you come tothe end, you’ve examinedthe messy business of creat-ing a new Constitution andexplored the kind of nationthe Revolution created.You’ve had a taste of thecontributions to the insur-gent cause by the OneidaIndian nation, the place ofenslaved Africans, and ofwomen at a time when thepromises contained in ourfounding documents didnot yet apply to many beyond white males.

Your tour ends with a presentation that concludeswith the revelation of thescalloped field tent thatserved as Washington’sheadquarters throughoutthe war. It’s a moving finaleto a stimulating experience.Don’t expect to find the familiar school-boy sermonshere. But do expect to bestimulated to think a littlemore deeply about wherewe’ve come from and wherewe may be going. You’resure to come away with lessons about the state ofour nation today.

ere’s a more mundaneside to the educational experience. Museums todayof course must devote capacious space to (a) eatingand (b) separating visitorsfrom their dollars. ere’splenty of room here forboth. e central hall with

its monumental staircasedoubles as an event spacefor bringing the bucks inafter hours. Maybe you’llfind it ironic that there’snothing the least bit revolu-tionary about the museum’sarchitecture. Not quite aknock-off Georgian building,it nonetheless could bethe offspring of the neo-Georgian U.S. CustomsHouse next door.

But, hey! e museum isa fine addition to the treas-ure trove of such collectionsin our neighborhood. It’sanother excellent reminderthat our neighborhood mayjust be the most historicallyimportant of any in America.Ho-hum indeed! n

Field tent that served as George Washington’s Headquarters.

Pictures by W. Herbe

rt Burk (below

left) an

d J. Fus

co (ab

ove left) for the Mus

eum of the Am

erican

Rev

olution


215-514-9884 – Cell

215-440-8195 – Direct

215-627-6005 – Office

Hi Tech. Hi Touch. A Winning Combination–in Person and on the Web!

[email protected] www.rosemaryfluehr.com530 Walnut Street, Suite 260Philadelphia, PA 19106

Rosemary Fluehr Associate Broker, GRI

Buying? Selling?Please call or email your neighbor, Rosemary Fluehr.

Know someone who’s Buying or Selling?Let me know. Referrals are the strength of my business.

Please Note –I have Qualified Buyers looking for All Unit Sizes.If you’re interested in selling, please call or e-mailyour Neighbor!


Lobby Renovations

Mailroom

Bill Reese and Bruce Scott behind the desk Bill Reese talking with a resident

North Lobby as you enter the bulding

South Lobby Mural

Lobby Renovation Project Moving Along

Pictures by Da

vid Ro

berts

You are invited to join

Washington Square Citizens LeagueWashington Square Citizens League is a nonprofit organization that has more than 140 members.

The vast majority of the members live in Hopkinson House.

Activities include: Monday Afternoon Discussion Group

Monthly Evening ProgramsBook Club

Reel DiscussionTheater Discussion Group

Socials, Including Dinners at La Buca

Membership Fee: $10 per year.If you are not a member and would like to join,

contact Enny Cramer at 215-925-9809or [email protected]


PA. H.I.C. Reg. #PA061648


You can glimpse a lot ofhistory by exploring the

tombstones of the famousand not-so-famous righthere in the HopkinsonHouse neighborhood.

Directly behind us isHoly Trinity Church, witha graveyard of tombstonesmost of which are not legible. e church lookspretty much like it didwhen it was founded in1759. e most prominentcitizen when he was buriedhere was Stephen Girard(1750-1831), the richestman in America when hedied. His body was interredhere in1831. After GirardCollege was built in accordance with his will, his remains were moved therein 1851; Girard’s tomb isnow in beautiful Founder’sHall at the College.

Close by is Old St Mary’sCatholic Church at 252 S.4th Street, founded in 1763.Buried in the church grave-yard, which is open to thepublic, are such historicalfigures as John Barry (1745-1802), father of the Ameri -can Navy, who found fameon the water as the first Am - erican to capture a Britishship during the RevolutionaryWar. When there were noships for him to commandto fight the British, he raiseda brigade of soldiers to fightthe foe in Trenton. A bridgesouth of Philadelphia spanning the DelawareRiver is named for thefamed Commodore. Histombstone is dominantand easy to find.

Michael Bouvier (1792-1874), was the first of the

famed family to come fromFrance. Michael Bouvierwas a highly successful furniture maker and a leading citizen. He andsome of his descendantslie beneath the vault inthe church’s burial ground.Michael was the great-great grandfather ofJacqueline Kennedy Onassis.Matthew Carey (1760-1839) was arguably earlyAmerica’s most importantpublisher. His publishinghouse was at our corner,where Locks Gallery istoday. His grave is also herein St. Mary’s churchyard.

One of early America’sforemost portraitists,John Neagle (1796-1865),whose work can be seentoday at the PortraitGallery of the SecondBank of the United States,prayed at Old St. Mary’s,and is buried here. GeorgeMeade, the grandfatherof the hero of Gettysburg,General George Meade, Jr.is here, too.

Not far away is historicOld Pine PresbyterianChurch, 412 Pine Street,founded in 1764, and currently celebrating its250th Anniversary. Itsgraveyard is also worth visiting and is open tothe public. Ronald Shaffer,the church’s historian,has identified 285 soldiersburied at Old Pine whofought for liberty in theAmerican Revolution.Also there is William Hurry(1721-1781), who is said tohave rung the Liberty Bellto proclaim e Declarationof Independence. Amongthe prominent people

buried here is JaredIngersoll (1749-1822),Philadelphia lawyer, dele-gate to the ContinentalCongress, and a signerof the Constitution.

Far more recent burials include that of MaestroEugene Ormandy (1909-1995), conductor of thePhiladelphia Orchestrafor forty-four seasons.Mrs. Ormandy (Margaret)is also buried there next toher husband in a little plotenclosed with a wroughtiron fence; Mrs. Ormandyleft a gift to the Churchwith the proviso that onMay 15th every year, adozen roses were to beplaced on their grave.May 15th was the dateof their Anniversary.(See photo above.)

e Hollywood movie,National Treasure, wasfilmed in Old Pine’s church -yard. In it, actor NicholasCage’s character is pursuedby the bad guys. Moviebuffs like to come here tolook for the site shown inthe movie. (Hint: on PineStreet, behind the Church.)

Tours and group tours canbe arranged by calling theChurch secretary, BethBiermann at 215-925-8051.Historian Ronald Shafferconducts all tours. A block

away is St. Peter’s EpiscopalChurch, at 313 Pine Street.Buried in their historicgraveyard are a number ofother prominent citizens.One of them is WilliamStrickland, Phila del phia architect (1788-1854), designer of the SecondBank at 420 ChestnutStreet. Stephen Decatur(1779-1820), made hisname as a U.S. navalofficer. In the War of 1812,Decatur distinguished him-self when, as Commanderof the U.S. United States,he captured the British shipof war, Macedonian, off theMadeira Islands. Decaturwas killed in a duel withdisgraced Navy CommodoreJames Barron. e cemeteryis open daily free to the public.

One might also visit ChristChurch burial grounds located at the corner of 5th& Arch Streets. Many his-toric figures are buried hereand it would take anotherarticle to cover this impor-tant church in our history.

All of these graveyardsoffer an educational andfascinating experience. Visitthem. I have only scratchedthe surface of the many historic people in ourneighborhood graveyards;you can discover manymore on your own. n

History Is Buried Right Beneath Your Feet Jim McClelland

Gravesite ofMaestro EugeneOrmandy (1909-1995), conductorof the PhiladelphiaOrchestra, and hiswife, MargaretOrmandy, at OldPine graveyard.


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Should We Worry about Climate Change? A Longer PerspectiveDavid Roberts

Climate change is justthe latest term for

global warming, whichmeans warming of the surface and atmosphereof the planet Earth, particularly the air and theoceans. e planet itself,as measured a few milesbelow the surface, is constantly cooling at an extremely low rate unaf-fected by climate changesand the weather up above.

Billions of years ago ourplanet was a spinning massof molten matter with atemperature of thousandsof degrees. e surface hascooled to form a crust, but,deep inside, the planet isstill molten and extremelyhot. e crust is thickenough (20 to 30 miles)to insulate us from the internal heat, providinga cool surface for livingthings to flourish. Eruptingvolcanoes remind us of themolten matter below.

The Sun and the Changing Climatee temperature onEarth’s surface is controlledby the sun’s radiated heat—solar radiation. us theair and the surface cool atnight, after the sun sets,and warm up again aftersunrise. e tropics arehotter than the poles be-cause they are closer to thesun and, more importantly,because the sun is more directly overhead. WhileEarth tilts on its axis as itorbits the sun, the northernand southern hemispheres alternate in moving towardsor away from the sun, giving us the seasons.

ere is now persuasive evidence that cyclicalchanges in solar radiationgovern the coming andgoing of warm periods.e intensity of solar radiation varies with thenumber of sunspots, thedark centers of powerfulhot zones. During the LittleIce Age sunspots disappearedcompletely for ten years.e recent pause in warm-ing coincided with reduc-tions in both solar radiationand the sunspot count.

Earth experiences iceages — glacials — thatlast about 100,000 years, alternating with warm periods — interglacials —that last 10,000 to 20,000years. We are now in thelate stages of what is calledthe Holocene Interglacial.It has been in progress forabout 11,000 years andis likely to end some timein the next few thousandyears, to be followed by another ice age.

During the HoloceneInterglacial there havebeen strong fluctuations in climate, with four distinctwarm periods. e first,the warmest and the mostenduring, came fairly early,long before the birth ofrecorded history. It is calledthe Holocene ClimateOptimum. Our knowledgeof it is based on geologicaland other indirect evidence.It was followed by theRoman Warming, theMedieval Warming and,now, the Modern Warming.For these three warm peri-ods the physical evidence issupported by the historicalrecord and, in the case of

the Modern Warming,the temperature record.e cool period betweenthe Roman and MedievalWarmings is called theDark Ages. e cooling between the Medieval andModern Warmings is knownas the Little Ice Age.

The Modern Warminge Little Ice Age reachedits coldest point in about1700. Temperatures havebeen rising ever since,not at a constant rate, but in surges and pauses.Climatologists considerthat the Little Ice Ageended, with temperaturesback to normal, in the1850s. e ModernWarming then began.

In the period from 1900to the present (117 years)climatologists have calcu-lated that 40 percent of thewarming occurred between1910 and 1945. Warmingsurged strongly in the 1930sand in the 1990s. In the1970s there was cooling,which led to serious con-cern that the next ice agewas imminent, but, in the1980s, warming resumed.Between 1998 and 2015there was little change, apause in warming. Despitethe fluctuations, the averagerate of warming since 1880has been about 1.25 Fahr en -heit degrees per 100 years.

Why the Fuss?e average rate of warming has not increasedin recent years, and theModern Warming has along way to go to match theearlier warm periods. eywere characterized by suchphenomena as extensive

agriculture on Greenland,including winemaking, andthe production of wheatin central Norway. Havingbegun in the 1850s, theModern Warming probablyhas at least 200 years to go.

Unfortunately two separateissues get confused:whether there is warmingand whether human activ-ity causes it. Every timea temperature increase is announced, the alarmistsproclaim, without providingany evidence, that the increaseis man-made. Undoubtedlythere is warming but it ishappening at a natural rate.us there is nothing forthe human-activity ideato explain. In the previouswarm periods of this interglacial, and even in theearlier years of the currentwarming, there were fewpeople on Earth and almostno industry but tempera-tures evidently increasedas fast as they have recently.Cyclical fluctuation in thesun’s output is a much morelikely cause of the long-term variations in globaltemperatures.

What About CarbonDioxide?Carbon dioxide (CO2)is a harmless, odorless gasthat is essential to life onEarth. In no sense can CO2be considered a pollutant.Animals depend on plantsfor food, and plants dependon three gases that consti-tute most of Earth’s atmos-phere — nitrogen, oxygen,and CO2. e first twoare abundant; air is roughly80 percent nitrogen and20 percent oxygen, butcontinued on Page 19


there is a mere 0.04 percentCO2. is is barely sufficientto support plant growth.At 0.04 percent the CO2concentration is just doublethe minimum for plants —0.02 percent. AdditionalCO2 is needed for moreprolific crops, especially incooler and drier regions.When CO2 is higher,crops need less waterand less warmth.

ere is cause for hope.As warming progressesthe temperature of theseas and oceans will increase. ese watersare the main reservoir ofCO2 on Earth and, as theywarm, they release CO2into the atmosphere. Likemost gases CO2 is muchmore soluble in cold water,and it vaporizes as the temperature rises. Whencooling returns, the seasand oceans will begin to reabsorb CO2 and therebyreduce its concentrationin the air. CO2 fell below0.02 percent, critical forplants, in past ice ages.

Substantial increases in atmospheric CO2 haveusually lagged temperatureincreases by hundreds ofyears. For example, in the150 years since the startof the industrial revolution,the average global tempera-ture has risen by almost2 Fahrenheit degrees butCO2 has risen by a mere0.012 percentage points —from 0.028 percent to0.040 percent. is maybe because seawater, beingmuch denser than air, heatsfar more slowly and, as a result, its release of CO2 is delayed and slow.

Although CO2 is definedas a greenhouse gas, theamount in the air is far toosmall for it to add apprecia-bly to the greenhouse effect.Water vapor is the maingreenhouse gas. It is morepotent than CO2 and thereis, on average, about 50times as much of it in theatmosphere. e role ofwater vapor in the green-house effect is very appar-ent in the middle of largedeserts, where there is almost no water vaporin the air and therefore nogreenhouse effect. Withoutthe moderating influenceof the greenhouse effectthere is scorching heat byday and bitter cold at night.We who don’t live in desertsshould be grateful for thegreenhouse effect!

It is Time to StopWorrying about Climate ChangeIn 1841 Charles Mackay,LL.D., published a fascinat-ing book on human behaviorcalled Extraordinary PopularDelusions and the Madness ofCrowds (Sixteenth printingby Noonday, 1969).Dr. Mackay describes such infamous events as the Dutchtulip mania and the SouthSea bubble. Today thereare two popular delusionsinterfering with our wayof life, the anti-fat crusadeand the man-made-global-warming frenzy, but thereis no valid evidence to sup-port either. e case againstdietary fat has been totallydiscredited. ere is strongevidence that cyclical variation in the sun’s outputis the main cause of long-term warming and cooling.

As we have discussed inearlier issues of on the Housethe anti-fat doctrine hasgreatly distorted the foodindustry and the way weeat, and has caused the obesity epidemic. eglobal-warming frenzyhas hindered industrial development and the building of essential infrastructure. While neglecting the need forroads, bridges, modern airports, and oil refineries,we have been building vastwind farms, which blightthe landscape and kill thousands of birds including many bald eagles.Wind farms and solar panels produce a small fraction of our electricityand only when the windor the sunshine is sufficient.In this energy-rich country,who needs either?

Warm periods are also described as “climate optima”because they are consideredthe best of times for life onEarth. We shall be able toexploit the slowly risingtemperatures and CO2of the Modern Warming by,for example, growing cropsin ground that is higherand drier or closer to thenorth and south poles.During the Little Ice Age,Greenland was encased inice and almost completelyuninhabitable but, thanksto the thaw caused by theModern Warming, farminghas returned. e popula-tion is now close to 60,000.e current warming is notsomething to worry aboutbut an event to celebrate.

ree cheers for theModern Warming! n

David Roberts adds hisvoice to the discussionthat has been going on forover a decade regardingthe earth’s global warmingor climate change. Somescientists believe that wehumans contribute to it,for the current period ofwarming is occurringmore rapidly than manyexpected. ey are con-cerned that the naturalfluctuation, or variability,is being overtaken by arapid human- inducedwarming that has seriousimplications for the stabil-ity of the planet’s climate.Others rely on their argu-ment that the planet’s cli-mate has constantly beenchanging over geologicaltime and that as Dr.Roberts says: “the currentwarming is not somethingto worry about but anevent to celebrate.”

Anyone for a rebuttal?

Should We Worry About Climate Change?

continued from Page 17

Editorial Comment

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Residents’ CornerMarch 2017

Hi Nelly,

ank you for all yourhard work on the newsletter.I think it is one of the bestthings about living here.I would like to make a suggestion.

In a previous issue (maybea year or more ago), youpublished an excellent article on the importanceof maintaining a peacefuland quiet atmospherethroughout the building.You discussed practicalthings that residents coulddo to ensure that unreason-able noises from one unitdo not travel annoyinglyinto others.’ It emphasized,for example, the need tocomply with the rule forcovering 80% of floorswith carpeting/padding.

Do you think you could resurrect and reprint thatarticle? Based on my recentexperiences in this area,it would be a good ideato reprint this article fromtime-to-time to get themessage across that it iseveryone’s responsibility tohelp ensure a peaceful andquiet environment for all.

ank you for your consideration.

Editor’s Reply: Instead of reproducing the paragraphon the importance of maintaining a peaceful andquiet atmosphere throughoutthe building in the article published a few years ago,the topic is addressed byDavid Smith’s ‘Messagefrom Management’ in the current issue of on the House. — Nelly n

Letter to the Editor


Ingredients

Pastry Dough:1½ cup flour4½ ounces unsalted butter,

chilled and cubed1/4 tsp. coarsely ground salt1 large egg2-3 Tbsp. cold water

Filling:Whole-grain mustard2-3 large ripe tomatoes

2 Tbsp. olive oilFreshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs,e.g. thyme or tarragon

4-8 ounces cheese, e.g.grated Gruyère orsliced goat cheese

Directions

Form the pastry by cuttingthe butter into the flourand salt until crumbly.

Beat the egg and add itwith enough of the waterto form dough.

Roll out or press it intothe bottom and sides of9" or 10" pie pan (or five4" tart pans).

Spread the bottom withan even layer of mustard.Let it sit a few minutesto dry out.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes thicklyand arrange them over themustard in a single layer.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Sprinkle with most of thefresh herbs, top with thecheese, and add the rest ofthe herbs.

Bake for 30 minutes on thelower rack of the preheatedoven or until the pastry iscooked, the tomatoes aretender, and the cheese ismelted or nicely browed.

French Tomato TartSusan Tomita

Chefs’ Corner

Ingredients

3 cups of your favorite fruit,suggested:

½ Anjou pear1 cup Blackberries½ Granny Smith apple,

sliced small 1 cup sliced red grapes Beer, Wine & Liquor 1 bottle dry white wine,

suggested: Sauvignon blanc

1½ cups Elderflower liqueurDrinks1 liter bottle Club Soda

If desired, swap alcoholwith Cherry and Applejuice for Non-Alcoholic

FrozenIce

Directions

Place fruit at bottomof large pitcher, pour inwhite wine and elderflowerliqueur and stir.

Refrigerate mixture forat least 30 minutes.

Top with ice and fill pitcherto the top with club soda(up to 1 full liter).

Stir, serve chilled. Cheers, enjoy!

40 mins to make, serves 8

Bonus: Sangria PopsAdd ½ cup of cherry juiceto leftovers and freeze inpopsicle molds for 24 hours,enjoy again the next day!

White Wine-Elderflower SangriaBecky Krasley

Hoppy Hour @Hopkinson House: A SummertimeDrink Recipe

Cherry juice Sangria Pop

Slice of French Tomato Tartwith sliced goat cheese.


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Allan Domb Real EstatePHILADELPHIA’S LARGEST SELLING CONDOMINIUM REALTOR® WE COOPERATE WITH ALL REALTORS®1845 Walnut Street, Suite 2200, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone: 215.545.1500 allandomb.com [email protected]

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Some of our most recent sales at Hopkinson House107 | 113 | 114 | 511 | 516 | 517 | 612 | 910

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Allan Domb Real EstatePHILADELPHIA’S LARGEST SELLING CONDOMINIUM REALTOR® WE COOPERATE WITH ALL REALTORS®1845 Walnut Street, Suite 2200, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Phone: 215.545.1500 allandomb.com [email protected]

@AllanDombRealestate @AllanDomb @AllanDomb

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