SEEKING PROPOSALS: Architectural Services for Renovation of 2908 West Diamond St. Philadelphia, PA
We’ve been planning toward this opportunity since the beginning. Friends of the Tanner House is now seeking proposals from qualified architectural firms to provide comprehensive architectural services for the full renovation of 2908 West Diamond Street in Philadelphia, PA. Submissions are due via email by June 6, 2025
Street View, 2908 W. Diamond Street, The Henry Ossawa Tanner House.
Friends of the Tanner House is seeking proposals from qualified architectural firms to provide comprehensive architectural services for the full renovation of 2908 West Diamond Street in Philadelphia, PA. With dedicated funding, Friends of the Tanner House anticipates making available $100 - $110K in budget resources for these project deliverables. This project aims to preserve and restore this historically significant structure while adapting it for contemporary use in alignment with local neighborhood needs/desires and wider historical preservation goals.
2908 West Diamond Street is the National Historic Landmark family home of the renowned 19th-century artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and other notably accomplished members of the Tanner family who left an indelible mark on African American history and culture. The Friends of the Tanner House has been active at the endangered site since December 2021, coordinating fundraising, outreach, and project planning to realize the house’s second-life revitalization as a neighborhood arts-and culture anchor institution, now overseen by a newly-created nonprofit organization of the same name.
The project involves a comprehensive renovation of the approximately 3,400 gross square foot (gsf) building, including the basement. The renovation will address conservation of select remaining historical artifacts, character-defining elements, and adaptive reuse of the building while having benchmarks for engaging the surrounding community during the process. Work completed to date includes preliminary condition assessments, structural stabilization, and historical research. FTH encourages the engagement of local sub-consultants and promotes the use of Small Diverse Businesses to the maximum extent practical for the benefit of the project.
The preservation approach for the Tanner House is guided by a commitment to ennoble the site’s historical significance and enable its continued relevance as a place of community and cultural vitality through the work of the Friends of the Tanner House. Although only a few character-defining elements—such as the stoop, bay window, wallpaper, stair and handrail—remain, they serve as powerful touchpoints for honoring the Tanner family’s legacy. Just as importantly, the house’s areas of loss and absence offer space for creative interpretation and design—an opportunity to acknowledge what is missing while imagining what is possible. The selected design team will work in collaboration with the Friends to thoughtfully discern what should be preserved, what might be preserved, and what may be intentionally transformed or newly designed. This process of careful interpretation will allow the revitalized house to support both the storytelling of the Tanner family’s remarkable history and the storymaking that will shape its future—anchoring memory while creating space for new voices, uses, and futures.
Proposal Timeline
RFP Issued: April 11, 2025
Site Visit Opportunity w/ Friends of the Tanner House: May 7, 2025, 12pm & May 12, 2025, 12pm
Deadline for Questions: May 23, 2025
Proposal Submission Deadline: June 6, 2025
Shortlist Selection and Notification: June 30, 2025
Shortlist Interviews: July 7 - July 18, 2025
Final Selection and Notification: August 1, 2025
Project Kickoff: Late August, 2025
—Christopher R. Rogers, Co-Coordinator of the Friends of the Tanner House & Friends of the Tanner House Board of Directors.
Contact us for any further questions: info@savethetannerhouse.org
