The Radnor Historical Society’s Historic Building Plaque Program was formed to make the public more aware of Radnor’s magnificent historic buildings, a unique treasure on the Main Line. Radnor possesses a multitude of historical building types including large estates, suburban properties, modest homes, and historic commercial buildings in various downtown business districts. It is the hope of the Society that these plaques will serve not only to identify buildings of historical and architectural significance but that they will, through heightened community awareness, encourage the continuing care and preservation of individual buildings.
Before a plaque application can be accepted, RHS must determine if enough information is known about the resource to warrant a plaque and if it meets our general guidelines. Although many buildings in Radnor are well-documented, unfortunately we do not have historical data on every property. Generally, RHS has the most information about the North Wayne, South Wayne, and Downtown Wayne areas, though information on many other structures can be found in our Historic Resource Survey. At this time we can only award plaques to buildings which have a sufficient amount of data collected in our inventory; however, if the property owner has additional information that RHS does not, they are welcome to submit their own research (with citations). Plaque eligibility will be based solely on the building’s exterior, will not restrict any physical attributes (including paint color), and will not require any additional township historical review. This is strictly a voluntary program administered by the Radnor Historical Society and is not related to township ordinances or the Historic and Architectural Review Board (HARB).
Applications will be initiated by the property owner who will bear the cost and maintenance of the plaque. Each plaque is cast bronze and will include the building’s original construction date and, when known, historical information such as, but not limited to, its name, original owner, builder, or architect. A typical plaque’s dimensions will be 11″x7″, though the dimensions may vary if required by the building’s architecture, and a typical plaque will include four lines of text
Applications for plaques are reviewed by a committee and decisions to award plaques are made based on specific guidelines and criteria. Custom fabricated plaques with the RHS logo are distributed to the property owner upon the successful completion of the application, research, and paid fee of $300.00 per plaque (cost is subject to material surcharges as specified by our manufacturing partner; contact us for current pricing). The fee is only to be charged after it is determined that your property qualifies for a plaque based on the information available or provided. Production time for the markers may vary based on the time required to confirm content and fabricator’s schedules. Forms and further information are available below, or from the Society at 113 West Beechtree Lane, Wayne, PA 19087. For further information, please contact us.
What information can be included on the marker?
Options for information displayed on each plaque is determined by RHS based on research indicating what is most relevant to the historic significance of the property. Information on the plaque is limited to four lines, which may include:
Building Name:
If a property was given a name at any time in its history, that name could be included.
Former Owner Name
Based on historical research, the name of a prominent past owner may be included. The current owner’s name is not eligible for inclusion.
Date:
Based on historical research, the date displayed on the plaque will be the year in which the building was built. If there are significant historical architectural additions and their dates are known, they may be displayed as well. If the RHS is unable to determine an exact date for the property, a “c.” meaning “circa” will be placed before the date (which may be a range, i.e. “c. 1884-1887”), indicating that the date is approximate.
Architect and/or Builder/Developer:
If the original architect and/or builder or developer of the building is known, those names could be included.
Radnor Historical Society Logo:
All plaques will include the Radnor Historical Society name at the bottom of the plaque.
Approval of Owner
The Applicant’s approval will be obtained before the plaque is submitted for fabrication.
Forms & Resources
Download the marker application form (PDF)
Download the marker guidelines and criteria (PDF)
Supporting Documentation (voluntary information, but would help with research) (PDF)
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation