Lower Merion officials unveil new interactive map showing designated historic resources

LOWER MERION — Since Lower Merion created its Historic Resource Inventory 25 years ago, it’s kept an electronic database containing information about all of its designated Historic Resources.

Currently, there are over 1,000 addresses listed in the township’s historic inventory.

Over the years, it’s been difficult for the public to have good access to properties on the list. Now, Lower Merion officials hope to make it easier.

During a recent township meeting, Greg Prichard, Lower Merion’s historic preservation planner, gave a brief presentation on the township’s new interactive map showing all designated class I and II properties. The new map has pins on all of the resources.

Once on the map, viewers will see magenta-colored pins representing properties within historic districts. There are also dark blue pins indicating Class I Historic Resources, and light blue pins representing Class II Historic Resources.

Resources that have been demolished are shown as dark gray pins, and light gray pins represent surveyed properties that are not currently designated.

There is also a box that allows users to search for a specific address.

When visitors click on one of the pins, it shows more detailed information on the property.

The information can include photos, historical Class I or II designation, whether the Lower Merion Historical Commission or the HARB reviews the property, the date of construction, the architect, and more.

“We’re really excited about this. We’re going to promote it heavily to residents and owners of historic resources,” Pritchard told the commissioners.

Pritchard said that after the township’s historic resource ordinance was passed in March of 2000, they put the data together in a Microsoft Access database.

The database was easy to use, but only for people in the township’s building and planning department.

“It wasn’t easily accessible to members of the public,” Pritchard said.

The old township website had a section where the public could search for property. But it was a one-time export of the database. It couldn’t be updated.

Commissioner Josh Grimes said he hopes the map link will have a prominent spot on the township’s website.

“Those of us who’ve tried to consult the historic resource inventory have missed it for the last five years, and it has been brought back way better than it was before,” Grimes said.

The map is now live and can be found at www.lowermerion.org/hri.