Mission First’s Parkside Preservation chosen as finalist in PACDC 2025 Blue Ribbon Awards

Congratulations to Mission First Housing Group and the entire Parkside Preservation team on being chosen as a Blue Ribbon finalist in PACDC’s 2025 Community Excellence Awards, announced Thursday, May 8, at PACDC’s gala and awards ceremony at the Mütter Museum at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC)’s Blue Ribbon Awards recognize innovation, impact, leadership and equity in community development each year, and this is Mission First and Thriven Design’s second recognition by PACDC.

Mission First’s Parkside Preservation brought together multiple funding sources to preserve 82 units of affordable housing in West Philadelphia and improve accessibility, energy efficiency, security, and community connection for residents. Thriven Design provided architecture and engineering services for the project, which made historically sensitive renovations to stairs, inlaid hardwood floors, doors, windows, and brick facades. New post-and-beam structural elements were designed and woven into the historic building fabric, while HVAC systems were replaced to provide modern efficiency and comfort. An enclosed hydraulic elevator was designed to increase access for residents with mobility issues.

“The Parkside Preservation, at its heart, was about community and people,” said Matthew Bartner, AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, Managing Principal, Practice & Performance at Thriven Design. “While we preserved the historic bones of these important examples of turn-of-the-century Philadelphia architecture, we also helped preserve access to affordable housing in a neighborhood that, like many, is feeling economic pressures. Mission First was able to revitalize these apartments so that there continue to be safe, accessible, and energy efficient housing options in the neighborhood for many years to come.”

Prior to this finalist designation for Parkside Preservation, PACDC has recognized Mission First Housing Group for its outstanding development of New Market West, a 135,000 sf mixed use community hub that provides education, healthcare, retail and community services to the Haddington Section of West Philadelphia. Thriven Design provided architectural, engineering, planning, and interior design services for the project, which was a Blue Ribbon award winner in 2021.

Click here to learn more about Parkside Preservation, New Market West, and other projects revitalizing Philadelphia’s communities.