September 16-22, 2004

cityspace

Rock 'n' Soil

by Doron Taussig

At first glance, there is something suspicious about the founder of the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, an organization dedicated to the preservation of natural local areas, being, by trade, an architect. Architecture, after all, is about building things — and inevitably, building more things — the very antithesis of preservation. But Bob Thomas, the preservationist architect, claims he is neither a subversive agent nor a paradox. To Thomas, quality architecture must not only create structures, it must weave those structures into the fabric of their surroundings. And Thomas says he believes that public parks are as integral to Philadelphia's fabric as bridges or stadiums.

In 1983, Thomas, already a member of the Sierra Club of Philadelphia, saw that Philadelphia's parks were endangered. They were suffering from budget and staff cuts and there was no citywide organization to advocate on their behalf. So, with several other Sierra Club members, Thomas founded the Friends of Philadelphia Parks. Twenty-one years later, the agency's name has been changed to the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, but its mission remains the same: to promote the care, appreciation and development of parks throughout Philadelphia as a historic, cultural, economic and social resource.

The group pursues this goal through advocacy (such as lobbying to ensure that supportive people are placed on the Fairmount Park Commission), community outreach and education (such as sending out a newsletter with information about park development and recreational opportunities) and facilitating events such as gardening and nature tours.

Thomas remains involved with the organization, both as a board member and a tour guide, and this Saturday he will lead a tour of the "Serpentine Barrens," an area in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland that is a geological curiosity.

Pennsylvania, for the most part, is made up of very fertile soil. But in a small portion of Chester County, there is a light green rock, not far beneath the surface of the soil, called serpentine. Serpentine is a natural bedrock that probably rumbled up from the earth's core during plate shifts some 450 million years ago. The rock is very rare and very inhospitable — crops refuse to grow on it. Hence the name "barrens."

Thomas' tour will begin in the developed areas of Chester County, where a disproportionate number of buildings are green — many buildings are made of the local stone. Then it will continue to the barrens themselves, which are said to give visitors the odd sensation that they are standing in the middle of a Pennsylvania prairie.

Tours of other local areas of interest will be available throughout the fall. For more information, visit www.philaparks.org.