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The Big U at Pier 86 (SSUSC Legacy Project and The Perry Collection)
SS United States Conservancy
BREAKING NEWS:
PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR SS UNITED STATES!
NEWS UPDATES:
CONSERVANCY LEGACY PROJECT LAUNCHED
WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER TALKS BIG U ON RADIO
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR BUILDS 7-FOOT MODEL OF SS UNITED STATES
SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR SALE
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Dear SS United States Conservancy Supporters and Friends:
We are proud to update you on the SS United States Conservancy's campaign to save our national flagship, the SS United States. Our efforts received a major boost last week in Philadelphia, the city where the ship has resided since 1996. The Philadelphia City Council passed a major resolution in support of the SS United States' restoration and the Conservancy's efforts on ship's behalf. Please read below for more detail on this exciting and encouraging development. It would indeed be fitting if a rejuvenated ship could be reborn on the banks of Philadelphia's Delaware River, the city of her designer's birth.
We also wanted to remind you of the fantastic array of SS United States-themed merchandise for sale, including our fabulous 2010 calendars featuring unique artistic interpretations of the ship and a brand new commemorative volume, The Interiors of the SS United States in Color! Ordering information is provided below. Purchase now in time for the holidays!
As always, we welcome your input into how we can further strengthen our outreach and spread word about the plight of the SS United States throughout the nation. We are always grateful for offers of assistance! There are many ways you may be able to help: Perhaps you could organize a local screening of the award-winning documentary film, SS United States: Lady in Waiting. Or you could write your members of Congress urging them to prevent the ship from being sold for scrap. Perhaps you could forward contact information to us of friends and colleagues who might be interested in learning more about our efforts. The possibilities are endless...
As always, we're so grateful for all of your enthusiasm and support. With your help, we WILL save the SS United States.
With our best wishes,
SS United States Conservancy Board of Directors
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PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL ADOPTS HISTORIC RESOLUTION SUPPORTING RESTORATION OF SS UNITED STATES
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ENDORSES CONSERVANCY'S EFFORTS TO SAVE SHIP
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The Philadelphia City Council has adopted a resolution proposed by Councilman Frank DiCicco (First Council District) that recognizes the historic significance of the SS United States to the city of Philadelphia. The resolution, adopted on December 3, 2009, acknowledges the advocacy efforts of the SS United States Conservancy, and supports the restoration of the ship as a vibrant moored attraction on the Delaware River as part of the new waterfront plan. Since 1996, the SS United States has been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.
The Resolution reads in part:
"Resolved that the Council of the City of Philadelphia recognizes and honors the history of the SS United States and its importance to Philadelphia, maritime history and the country as a whole; appreciates the opportunity to use the ship's redevelopment as a catalyst for development on the banks of the Delaware River; acknowledges the negative impact that the ship's current condition has on current efforts to redevelop the waterfront; thanks the SS United States Conservancy for its efforts to save the ship; and encourages the ship's current owner, Genting Hong Kong Ltd, to correct the current conditions." The resolution states that not only would the ship "be an exciting addition to the Delaware River that could be a successful tourist attraction," but also that refit of the ship in a Philadelphia-area shipyard "would create hundreds of jobs for a number of skilled laborers."
This resolution offered by Councilman DiCicco comes on the heels of a letter of support written by Philadelphia City Council President Anna C. Verna on September 15. In her letter to SS United States Conservancy Board President Susan Gibbs, Verna wrote:
"The SS United States is truly an historic national treasure that should be preserved for current and future generations. I am hopeful that this magnificent ocean liner can be restored to her original grandeur and become a river front attraction in our city for residents and visitors."
The complete text of the Philadelphia City Council Resolution in support of the SS United States will soon be posted on the SS United States Conservancy's blog. See http://ssunitedstatesconservancy.org/SSUS/blog/.
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WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER SHARES STORY OF BIG U
ON RADIO
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A FOLLOW-UP TO FRONT PAGE STORY FEATURING CONSERVANCY
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Jesse Pesta, the reporter who wrote a wonderful story about the SS United States Conservancy's efforts to save the SS United States in the Wall Street Journal was interviewed earlier this fall on WABC's John Batchelor Radio Show. To listen, please click here.
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CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES LEGACY PROJECT
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("Heading Out" courtesy of Robert Hope.)
INITIATIVE TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE SHIP'S UNIQUE LEGACY
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The SS United States Conservancy is pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative which will work diligently to archive the ship's personal histories through images, film, and the stories of her builders, passengers, and crew. Formerly known as the Archive and Oral History Projects, the new endeavor will work to catalog the hundreds of photographs, films, and stories collected thus far, folding them all under the umbrella of the Legacy Project. In addition to assembling and digitally preserving these irreplaceable pieces of the ship's history, the Legacy Project will also be working closely with museums, schools, and libraries to help bring the story of our nation's flagship to life for a generation of people who are unfamiliar with the ship's unique significance in our country's history. If you have personal photographs and/or home movies you'd like to contribute, please contact us at archives@ssunitedstatesconservancy.org. We will have your photos and/or slides professionally scanned, and your home movies digitally transferred, returning the originals to you along with a digital copy. This service is offered free of charge to you, and will be an important way to have your memories archived as part of the irreplaceable history of the Big U. Of course, if you already have digital scans and transfers of your photos and films, we'd welcome those submissions as well.
NEW SS UNITED STATES BOOK FROM CONSERVANCY'S OWN BOOKSTORE
The Legacy Project will also be publishing a line of books featuring images assembled under its auspices, the first of which is available for purchase now. The Interiors of the SS United States in Color (cover shown above) is a reproduction of a vintage United States Lines oversized full color travel agents' brochure which featured full page color photographs of the ship's important mid-century modern rooms, along with descriptive text highlighting each space's amenities. The book is available in hardcover (with dust jacket) and softcover. A portion of the sale of each book goes to support the Conservancy's ongoing efforts to save our national flagship and preserve her legacy for future generations. Please visit our bookstore by clicking here.
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HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR BUILDS 7-FOOT MODEL OF BIG U!
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Alan Urban With His 7 Foot SS United States Model
(photo by Jeremy Hogan, Herald-Times)
A GIFTED YOUNG SHIP DESIGNER APPLIES HIS TALENTS TOWARD
RECREATING THE SS UNITED STATES!
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Alan Urban, a high school senior in Owen Valley, Indiana, has recently completed the design and construction of a gorgeous 7-foot model of the SS United States! Alan began building his model in August and finished his masterpiece in October.
As reported by Marcela Creps in the Herald-Times, Alan built the ship using a wide range of construction materials, including chopsticks, fishing line, string, straws and even empty toilet paper rolls. He used parts from a mechanical pencil for the whistles. When he needed black string, he simply painted white thread with a black magic marker. He made sure every detail was included in his model: "The railing, shuffleboard courts, windows, doors, life preservers and even the builder's plate. He admits some of the work was tedious, including the use of toothpicks for the railing. He painted everything, including the toothpicks, which he broke into sections for the railing posts."
The Herald-Times reports that Alan hopes that the real SS United States can be saved. Creps' wonderful article concludes, "He knows the ship faces an uncertain future, but 'I hope it is bright,' he said."
Thank you, Alan, for helping keep the legacy of the SS United States bold and bright! To read the full Herald-Times article as a pdf file, please click here.
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Time to Order Your 2010 SS United States Calendar!
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 The Conservancy's 2010 Artists' Visions of the SS United States full color oversized wall calendar is still available for purchase. Featuring stunning paintings of the ship both in her heyday and decline, the sale of each calendar benefits the Conservancy's ongoing work to rescue and revitalize our nation's flagship. Order now!
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For the latest news about the SS United States, please
visit our Save Our Ship blog.
Please support our efforts to save the SS United States by
visiting our store.
SS United States Conservancy
P.O. Box 32115
Washington, DC 20007
(888)-488-7787
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