Based in Sydney, Australia, Foundry is a blog by Rebecca Thao. Her posts explore modern architecture through photos and quotes by influential architects, engineers, and artists.
Since 1893
13 New Trees to be Planted
David Page, chair of the Swarthmore Tree Committee, writes:
Members of the Swarthmore Tree Committee, volunteers, and community homeowners will team up on Saturday morning to plant 13 new street trees and park trees in Swarthmore. The trees are provided by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s TreeVitalize tree-planting program, which supplies municipalities with low-cost bare-root trees to be planted as street trees to enhance urban canopies. This is the second time the Swarthmore Tree Committee, led by member Michael Matotek, has participated in the program, which is offered in the spring and the fall. We hope to continue our participation in the future.
Photo: Last fall, a Kentucky coffee tree was planted in front of the Wesley AME church on Bowdoin Avenue in Swarthmore, courtesy of the TreeVitalize program. Photo: Kielene Bizzell Brown
New Picnic Table in Paulson Park
On April 8, Swarthmore Borough Council member Ross Schmucki wrote to tell us:
Today, a new picnic table was placed in Paulson Park down by CADES. This is good. People are using these outdoor spaces more than ever. Back in October, Borough Council authorized a picnic table for the corner of Umoja Park at Yale and Kenyon avenues. The photo shows the one in Umoja Park in use this week. These tables are handicap accessible. A wheelchair fits at either end. Thanks to council, Borough Manager Jane Billings, and foreman of the Swarthmore public works department, Charles (Cuzzy) W. Rowles Jr.
Photo: Ross Schmucki
Citizens Against Trash Club Cleans Up Blue Route On-ramp
Sallie Anderson writes:
Early in the morning of Saturday, April 10, more than a dozen members of the newly formed Citizens Against Trash Club of Nether Providence Township could be seen picking up trash at the Swarthmore/Media entrance and exit ramps of the Blue Route. The CAT Club members were joined by a few residents of Rose Valley, Media, and Springfield, along with Nether Providence Township Manager Dave Grady and Commissioner Matt Garson. In less than two hours, the group collected a full truckload of litter, making a very noticeable improvement along this heavily traveled route into and out of our community. As expected, plastic bottles and single-use plastic bags were large contributors to the litter. Several cell phones, an umbrella, an engine chassis, and a pair of men’s underwear were also found along the highway.
The CAT Club welcomes volunteers from all communities who are interested in pitching in to clean up litter. The next cleanup will be held on Saturday morning, April 24, probably at a local park. Look for details on Facebook as well as in the Swarthmorean’s Community Calendar.
Left to right: Cheryl Plunkett of Wallingford, Amy Reardon of Rose Valley, Nether Providence Commissioner Matt Garson of Wallingford, and Susan and Michael Ranck of Springfield picked up trash near the Blue Route on Saturday. Photo: Sallie Anderson
Spring Beautification Day 2021
Despite some drizzle, nearly 30 volunteers worked from 1 - 4 p.m. on Sunday to clean up downtown Swarthmore as part of Swarthmore Town Center and the Swarthmore Horticultural Society’s spring Beautification Day. They power-washed awnings and sidewalks, weeded gardens, spread mulch, picked up trash and debris, washed storefront windows, prepped parklet planters, and hung string lights in the trees.
“The afternoon ended with cupcakes, and the sun even came out,” reports town center coordinator Sarah Matthews. “It was a fantastic day!”
Amalia Rodriguez Matotek, a third-grader at Swarthmore-Rutledge School, cleans windows as part of Swarthmore’s Beautification Day. Photo: Rob Borgstrom
"Guess the House" Drawing Makes the Wall
Peter Fritz sent us this photo of his sons, Henry and Stanley, with a Guess the House drawing of their home, 525 Westminster Ave., clipped from the March 12 issue of the Swarthmorean. Bill Menke has been drawing borough houses for this popular weekly feature since January 5, 2018.
