Arielle Harris ’13 Fights to Preserve Historic Women’s & LGBTQ+ Landmark 

On a quiet street in Bryn Mawr stands 17 Elliott Avenue, a house steeped in architectural and social history that could soon be lost. Haverford College alum Arielle Harris ’13 is fighting to preserve it—along with the memory of two groundbreaking women who lived there—against the looming threat of demolition.

Designed by prominent local architect William Lightfoot Price, 17 Elliott was commissioned in 1900 by Helen Sleeper Pearson, who shared the home for over 40 years with Helen Dean King. Pearson was a graduate of Smith College and a doctoral student of mathematics at Bryn Mawr College. King received her PhD from Bryn Mawr and later became the first woman to hold a research professorship in the U.S. Both women made significant contributions to their fields, with Pearson teaching at The Baldwin School and King working at the Wistar Institute, where she made advances in chemotherapy and lab rat research.

The home’s history resonated with Harris, who graduated from Haverford with degrees in French and Growth and Structure of Cities (at Bryn Mawr College) and completed her master’s in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania. At UPenn, Harris connected with Aaron Wunsch ‘92, a fellow Haverford alum and an architectural historian who inspired Harris to get involved with preservation advocacy in the Philadelphia area. Together, Harris and Wunsh led a successful preservation campaign for a house on La Salle University’s campus and fought alongside others to preserve multiple buildings in Philadelphia’s Jewelers’ Row district, which were unfortunately demolished. 

Before Wunsch passed away in 2024, he and Harris worked on a nomination to add 17 Elliott–a property of personal significance to Wunsch–to Lower Merion’s Historic Building Inventory as a Class I resource, thereby preventing its demolition. “Around 2020, Aaron pitched the idea to me of historically designating this property in Bryn Mawr, which his grandmother owned from 1949 to 1983,” Harris stated. She now faces opposition from the home’s current owner and the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners, with Aqua, a water utility company, attempting to purchase and tear down the property.

On March 12, 2025, the nomination was brought before the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners. It’s important to note that this meeting did not decide whether to designate the house as a Class I resource, but whether to make public a notice advertising the proposed historic designation. Should this public notice be posted, the board will vote on the designation at a later date.

Over a dozen community members, including Harris, made public comments to the board, most of whom argued that the home and its history should be preserved. Among them was Jeffrey Cohen, Bryn Mawr Professor of Growth and Structure of Cities, who underscored Price’s handiwork, describing the house as “a combination of many, very adventurous parts” that are “very much related to the vocabulary that you would have seen in the buildings of Bryn Mawr College” and emblematic of the individuality of the original residents. Others emphasized that the home is also the earliest known example of an attached car garage in the Philadelphia area. 

Those supporting the owner, who was not present, argued that a historical classification could reduce the home’s marketability and increase the needed upkeep, which isn’t feasible given the owner’s current financial circumstances. The commissioners, who acknowledged the house’s importance but usually side with homeowners on preservation issues, were also split. Commissioner Andrew Garvin stated, “Seven years on the board, this is easily one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make.” The board ultimately decided to postpone their decision until May.

According to Harris, the home is currently under threat. “There is strong evidence that should this application be denied, the house will be demolished with the property being likely converted into a parking lot,” Harris stated at the board meeting. Multiple homes on Elliott Avenue have already been bought and demolished by Aqua, transformed into parking lots and office buildings that encroach on 17 Elliott’s backyard. (The transformation of the next-door property into Aqua office buildings can be seen through past Google Street View images.) “The irony does not escape me of a water utility turning previously open land into impermeable landscape,” Harris said. 

Harris also pointed out the significant LGBTQ+ and women’s history tied to the house, specifically the lives of Pearson and King, who likely had a romantic relationship but kept it hidden to protect their careers. “The story of 17 Elliott is, to a large extent, a woman’s history story,” Harris explained to the board. “It’s fitting that this meeting is being held during Women’s History Month, during a national moment where women’s rights are under serious threat and some have been taken away,” Harris continued. Harris believes that the board’s decision to postpone, which will fall around Pride Month in June, will help with the advocacy campaign around the house. 

In her advocacy so far, Harris has launched a social media campaign and connected with architectural historians and local media outlets like Hidden City Philadelphia. She has also contacted institutions such as Bryn Mawr College and the Wistar Institute for more support. 

“What does Lower Merion value?” Harris posed to the board. “Does it value its history, its unique character, the remarkable contributions of its residents, or avoiding conflict?” The outcome of the May meeting will likely determine whether 17 Elliott Avenue is preserved as a testament to the contributions of women in STEM, LGBTQ+ individuals, and Price’s architectural accomplishments or if it will be lost to development, erasing an important piece of history.