An Economic Impact Study of Historic Germantown on the Surrounding Neighborhood

Historic Germantown, a non-profit umbrella organization of sixteen historic sites in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, adjusted its focus in 2008 to focus on community engagement due to leadership which emerged that took the consortium of historic sites from a preservation-only mission to engage the surrounding community. This adjustment was a departure from its previous focus on solely preserving the colonial sites and relics of Germantown. An Economic Impact study of the organization on the surrounding neighborhood attempts to capture the economic benefits of this leadership change. The study attempts to quantify this shift, following qualitative assessments that the economic conditions in Germantown have improved over the course of the past decade due to the efforts of Historic Germantown. Spatial analysis of property values and crime trends since 2008 assess the relationship between the sites and improved neighborhood conditions, while visitation trends track the extent to which new programming has attracted neighborhood residents. The results provide a foundation for recommendations to Historic Germantown’s organizational policies concerning site management and community outreach through programming.