Source: The Philadelphia Architect Date: May 2006 Byline:
Richard Linderman, AIA, NCARB 18th Century National Landmark At
Risk Imagine a fire station being built directly in front of the
main entrance to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Or a
parking lot replacing the beautiful shores of the Angel Island
Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay. If a Delaware County,
PA municipality has its way that's just what could happen to the
Lazaretto, the 1799 quarantine station located less than 10
miles southwest of Philadelphia. Tinicum Township plans to build
its new 36,000-square-foot municipal fire department with
several acres of paved parking on the front half of the 10-acre
Lazaretto site. Immigration Station is a National Landmark Pre-
dating such national landmarks as Ellis Island, Angel Island,
and the Canadian Facility at Grosse Isle in the Saint Laurence
River in Quebec, the Lazaretto was built in response to the
devastating yellow fever epidemic of 1793. It functioned for
most of the 19th century inspe