Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia Records
Collection ID
Acc. 488
Related Subjects
Collecting Areas
Description
Collection Summary
Title
Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia Records
Dates
1939-1980
Collection ID
Acc. 488
Creator
Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia
Quantity
5 linear feet (10 boxes)
Repository
Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries
Language
Materials in English.
Detailed Collection Information
Historical Note
The Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia, a branch of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, was founded in 1939 by a group of local businessmen and women led by Harry O. J. Childs. The group represented companies doing business in the district, comprising all of Philadelphia west of the Schuylkill River. Board members were chosen to represent the major businesses and institutions within the area while proprietors of small, independent businesses were encouraged to join as regular members, and to participate in Chamber activities and committees.
The Chamber's primary purpose was political advocacy on behalf of businesses in the region. In the early years, the Chamber was concerned with capital improvements, particularly mass-transit as well as road and highway construction. The Chamber also maintained a special relationship with the major transportation hub within the district, the Philadelphia International Airport.
The Chamber worked closely with the major educational institutions in West Philadelphia including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. The Chamber also worked with several local high schools to develop vocational training for students.
Description of Collection
The collection includes administrative records, meeting minutes, financial records, committee files and correspondence, resolutions, press releases and policy statements from the Board on behalf of its members, and a nearly-complete collection of the Chamber's Awards Banquet programs.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 5 series as follows:
Series 1: Administrative, 1939-1980
Series 2: Committees, 1951-1980
Series 3: Public Affairs, 1950-1976
Series 4: Correspondence, 1950-1980
Series 5: Annual Awards Banquet, 1948-1980
Series 1. Administrative, houses constitution and by-laws, 1967-1979, and minutes of meetings, including executive committee, board of directors, annual membership and special committees not covered in Series 2. Also included are records of attendance at meetings, and notices of upcoming meetings.
Series 2. Committees houses records of the Chamber's individual committees: Ad-Hoc Committee on Vacant Buildings, Awards, Education, Finance, Membership, Nominating, Publicity, and Self Evaluation.
Series 3. Public Affairs, holds records of actions taken by the Chamber with regards to matters of public concern. Also includes records and literature from other community and governmental organizations describing or explaining individual programs or initiatives.
Series 4. Correspondence, contains routine correspondence not otherwise covered in Series 2 or 3. There are letters from members notifying the Board of Directors of a change in membership status, as well as queries from non-members about business and employment opportunities in the area, or questions about a particular member business
Series 5. Annual Awards Banquet, includes a collection of the official program from the Chamber's Annual Awards Banquet as well as records pertaining to the conduct of the banquet.
Patron Information
Research Access
Collection is open for research.
Collections Stored Off-Site
This collection may be housed off-site at the Library Depository, and require up to two business days to retrieve. Please review the finding aid and be prepared to identify specific materials to be retrieved. Contact the Special Collections Research Center in advance of your visit, so that materials may be relocated to the reading room for research.
Publication and Copyright Information
The Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia Records are in custody of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia Records, Acc. 488, Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Deposited by the organization through Alan B. Gross, President, December 1981 and November 1983.
Processing Information
Finding aid revised according to contemporary archival standards in June 2015.
Index Terms
The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in Temple University’s electronic catalog:
Corporate Names:
Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia
Subjects:
Commerce -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Community development -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Community organization -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Neighborhood planning -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Urban renewal -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Places:
Philadelphia (Pa.)
West Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Material Types:
Administrative records
Bylaws (administrative records)
Correspondence
Minutes
Inventory
Series 1: Administrative, 1939-1980
1 1 Constitution and By-Laws 1967-1979
1 2 Meeting minutes 1939-1941
1 3 Meeting minutes 1942-1945
1 4 Meeting minutes 1946-1949
1 5 Meeting minutes 1950-1952
1 6 Meeting minutes 1953
1 7 Meeting minutes 1954
1 8 Meeting minutes 1955
1 9 Meeting minutes 1956
1 10 Meeting minutes 1957
1 11 Meeting minutes 1958
1 12 Meeting minutes 1959
1 13 Meeting minutes 1960
1 14 Meeting minutes 1961
1 15 Meeting minutes 1962
1 16 Meeting minutes 1963
1 17 Meeting minutes 1964
2 18 Meeting minutes 1965
2 19 Meeting minutes 1966
2 20 Meeting minutes 1967
2 21 Meeting minutes 1968
2 22 Meeting minutes 1969
2 23 Meeting minutes 1970
2 24 Meeting minutes 1971
2 25 Meeting minutes 1972
2 26 Meeting minutes 1973
2 27 Meeting minutes 1974
2 28 Meeting minutes 1975
2 29 Meeting minutes 1976
2 30 Meeting minutes 1977
2 31 Meeting minutes 1978
2 32 Meeting minutes 1979
2 33 Meeting minutes 1980
2 34 Luncheon meetings 1975-1977
2 35 Luncheon meetings 1978-1979
2 36 Rosenthal Red Cross Files 1952-1955
Series 2: Committees, 1951-1980
3 37 Ad-Hoc Committee on Vacant Buildings Near Commercial Areas 1976
3 38 Airport Luncheon Committee 1967-1973
3 39 Awards Committee 1953, 1955, 1966-1973
3 40 Awards Committee 1974-1977
3 41 Awards Committee 1978-1980
3 42 Education Committee 1967-1973
4 43 Finance Committee 1958, 1960-1966
4 44 Finance Committee 1967-1973
4 45 Finance Committee 1974-1980
4 46 Membership Committee 1967-1979
4 47 Nominating Committee 1951-1969
4 48 Nominating Committee 1970-1976
4 49 Nominating Committee 1977-1980
4 50 Program Committee 1962-1963, 1967-1970
4 51 Program Committee 1971-1974
5 52 Publicity Committee 1955, 1956, 1958, 1967-1972
5 53 Photographs undated
5 54 Self-Evaluation Committee 1968
Series 3: Public Affairs, 1950-1976
5 55 Public affairs 1950-1959
5 56 Public affairs 1960-1969
5 57 Public affairs 1970
5 58 Public affairs 1971
5 59 Public affairs 1973-1976
Series 4: Correspondence, 1950-1980
6 60 Correspondence 1950
6 61 Correspondence 1951
6 62 Correspondence 1953
6 63 Correspondence 1954
6 64 Correspondence 1955
6 65 Correspondence 1956
6 66 Correspondence 1957
6 67 Correspondence 1958
6 68 Correspondence 1959
6 69 Correspondence 1960
6 70 Correspondence 1961
6 71 Correspondence 1962
6 72 Correspondence 1963
6 73 Correspondence 1964
6 74 Correspondence 1965
7 75 Correspondence 1966
7 76 Correspondence 1967
7 77 Correspondence 1968
7 78 Correspondence 1969
7 79 Correspondence 1970
7 80 Correspondence 1971
7 81 Correspondence 1972
8 82 Correspondence 1973
8 83 Correspondence 1974
8 84 Correspondence 1975
8 85 Correspondence 1976 January-July
8 86 Correspondence 1976 August-December
8 87 Correspondence 1977
8 88 Correspondence 1978
8 89 Correspondence 1979
8 90 Correspondence 1980
8 91 Rev. Hagedon Problem 1971
Series 5: Annual Awards Banquet, 1948-1980
9 92 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1955
9 93 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1956
9 94 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1957
9 95 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1964
9 96 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1969
9 97 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1970
9 98 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1972
9 99 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1975
9 100 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1977
9 101 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1978
9 102 Annual Awards Banquet Files 1979
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1948
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1949
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1951
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1952
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1953
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1954
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1955
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1956
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1957
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1958
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1959
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1960
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1961
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1962
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1963
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1964
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1965
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1966
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1967
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1968
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1969
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1970
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1971
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1972
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1973
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1974
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1975
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1976
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1978
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1979
10 Annual Awards Banquet Programs 1980Request Materials from Special Collections Research Center
https://temple.aeon.atlas-sys.com/Logon/?Action=10&Form=30&ItemTitle=Chamber of Commerce of West Philadelphia Records&ItemPlace=Urban Archives&CallNumber=Acc. 488&rft.pages=Urban Archives