The Philadelphia Historical Commission and its committees hold public meetings. At these meetings, they review building permit applications for work to historically designated properties, as well as matters related to historic designation. Interested parties can comment in-person on matters before the Historical Commission. Or, comments may be submitted in writing in advance of the public meeting. Written remarks may be sent to preservation@phila.gov.
The Historical Commission’s monthly meeting is held in a hybrid format. Commissioners and Historical Commission staff attend the meetings in-person at 1515 Arch Street. Applicants, owners, and the public have the option to attend in-person or remotely on Zoom. The Architectural Committee, Committee on Historic Designation, and Committee on Financial Hardship meet remotely on Zoom.
General resources
- If you’re interested in attending an upcoming meeting, see our event calendar.
- If you missed a meeting, view our recordings of public meetings.
Meeting schedule and guidelines
| Title | Description | Category | Author | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Historical Commission meeting dates and deadlines PDF | The 2026 dates and submission deadlines for meetings of the Philadelphia Historical Commission and its committees | November 04, 2025 | |||
| FAQs for Architectural Committee meeting - May 26, 2026 PDF | FAQs for Architectural Committee meeting scheduled for May 26, 2026 | May 18, 2026 | |||
| PHC staff report - April 2026 PDF | Report on the activities of the Historical Commission staff, April 2026 | May 6, 2026 | |||
| Historical Commission business instructions PDF | Instructions for conducting business with the Philadelphia Historical Commission. | January 13, 2025 | |||
| Historical Commission guidelines for conduct at public meetings PDF | Guidelines for conduct at public meetings of the Historical Commission. | June 2, 2023 |
Recent agendas and minutes
| Title | Description | Category | Author | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural Committee agenda - May 26, 2026 PDF | May 19, 2026 | ||||
| Architectural Committee minutes - April 21, 2026 PDF | April 30, 2026 | ||||
| Historical Commission minutes - April 10, 2026 PDF | April 30, 2026 |
Building permit applications under review
| Title | Description | Category | Author | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 Chestnut St. building permit application PDF | May 19, 2026 | ||||
| 1910 Chestnut St. public comment PDF | May 22, 2026 | ||||
| 2108 Sansom St. building permit application PDF | May 19, 2026 | ||||
| 3331 Powelton Ave. building permit application PDF | May 19, 2026 | ||||
| 4238-40 Chester Ave. building permit application PDF | May 19, 2026 | ||||
| 4238-40 Chester Ave. public comment PDF | May 22, 2026 | ||||
| 6701-19 N. Broad St. building permit application PDF | May 19, 2026 |