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The Isidor Ostroff Papers document Ostroff's involvement with the Independence Hall Association and the Independence Neighborhood Association from 1933-1968. Catalog Number: 53514 Table of ContentsCopyright and RestrictionsHistory Scope and Content Hierarchy Series Descriptions Container List
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If a user later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the user may be personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement. This institution's permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document doesn't indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from this document without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. HistoryIsidor Ostroff was born on September 23, 1906 in Camden, New Jersey, the son of William and Minnie Ostroff, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He attended public schools in Camden before continuing his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1927. After college he entered the University of Pennsylvania Law School and received his L.L.B. in 1930.Upon admission to the Pennsylvania and District of Columbia bars in 1930, Ostroff entered into private practice, specializing in immigration and nationality law. Ostroff formed at least two partnerships in his career, practicing first as Ostroff and Brodsky and later as Ostroff and Lawler. He was active in a number of professional organizations, including the Philadelphia Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers, and served as president of the National Association of Immigration and Nationality Lawyers and the Consular Law Society of New York City. His work in the field earned him the title of honorary consul to Guatemala in the 1950s. Isidor Ostroff was an active member of the Democratic Party in Philadelphia. In 1937, he won the seat of the 5th Ward in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Ostroff's legislative career was short-lived, ending in 1938, though he remained active in the politics of the 5th Ward and served as a committeeman for a number of years. Ostroff's connection with the Democratic Party would prove useful in later years, as he garnered political support for the creation of Independence National Historical Park. In 1941, Ostroff led the movement to petition Congress to create a national historical park in Philadelphia. The widely-supported petition was presented to Representative Leon Sacks but floundered in Congress after the outbreak of World War II. Undeterred, Ostroff joined forces with Judge Edwin O. Lewis and others to create the Independence Hall Association, an organization dedicated to preserving Independence Hall and advocating for the creation of a national park in Philadelphia. With the help of their political connections, Isidor Ostroff and Judge Lewis successfully raised the funds and garnered the legislative support necessary to create Independence National Historical Park. For thirty years, Ostroff worked with the Independence Hall Association to raise public and political awareness about urban renewal and historic preservation in Philadelphia's Old City district. In 1949, Ostroff joined forces with the Independence Neighborhood Association, an organization dedicated to preserving historic structures in the city. In the 1950s, the organization restored the eighteenth-century Head House Market stall at 2nd and Lombard Streets. Throughout this period, Ostroff provided pro bono legal advice to the Association and guided their negotiations with the City of Philadelphia. Isidor Ostroff was married to Ella Wolson and they had one daughter. He was a member of Congregation Mikveh Israel, the oldest synagogue in Philadelphia. He died on November 26, 1976. Scope and ContentIndependence National Historical Park Isidor Ostroff Papers1933-1968 and undated Catalog Number: INDE 53514 Volume: 1 LF Description: The Isidor Ostroff Papers document Ostroff's involvement with two Philadelphia-based organizations: the Independence Hall Association and the Independence Neighborhood Association. Materials include correspondence, historical research files, and legal documentation. Records in this collection date from 1933- 1968. Organization: This collection is organized into four series:
Associated Materials: Independence National Historical Park Archives:
Series DescriptionsSeries I: Independence Hall History Reports, undated Series III: Independence National Historical Park, 1950 Container ListBox 1SERIES I: INDEPENDENCE HALL HISTORY REPORTS, undated Folder 1: Independence Hall history report, undated Folder 2: Independence Hall Supreme Court Room history report, undated Folder 3: Independence Square research files, undated SERIES II: INDEPENDENCE HALL ASSOCIATION, 1933, 1941-1968 Folder 4: Correspondence, 1933, 1941-1942 Folder 5: Correspondence, January -June 1943 Folder 6: Correspondence, July-December 1943 Folder 7: Correspondence, 1944 Folder 8: Correspondence – Congressional Bills, 1946-1947 Folder 9: Correspondence, 1954-1955 Folder 10: Correspondence, January-June 1956 Folder 11: Correspondence, July 1956-1960 Folder 12: Correspondence, 1961-1963, 1966, 1968 SERIES III: INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, 1950 Folder 13: Plan of Proposed Land Acquisition, 1950 SERIES IV: INDEPENDENCE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, 1948-1958, undated Folder 14: Correspondence, 1948-1951 Folder 15: Correspondence, 1952-1955 Folder 16: Correspondence, January-June 1957 Folder 17: Correspondence, July 1957-1958 Folder 18: Legal files, 1949 Folder 19: Legal files, 1950 Folder 20: Legal files, 1951 Folder 21: Legal files, 1952 Folder 22: Legal files, 1953 Folder 23: Legal files, 1956 Index Card Box Membership card file, undated |
Last updated: January 13, 2018