CertainTeed Announces Its Donation to Friends of Historic Sedgeley to Support the Renovation of Sedgeley Club on Philadelphia’s Historic Boathouse Row

CertainTeed, a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions, Saint-Gobain, today announced the donation of siding shingles and building science expertise to Friends of Historic Sedgeley to support the renovation of Sedgeley Club on Philadelphia’s historic Boathouse Row. Executives from Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed were joined by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and officials from the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia to celebrate this historic renovation project.

“This donation from CertainTeed is another example of the Saint-Gobain family of companies helping the City of Philadelphia keep its commitment to ensuring the preservation of historically significant buildings in Philadelphia,” said Mayor Kenney. “From multiple renovations on Boathouse Row to the redesign of LOVE Park’s Welcome Center, Saint-Gobain continues to have a profound impact through building product donations and guidance from their experts on restoring buildings.”

The CertainTeed donation through its Siding team, with support from the Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation, includes 37 squares of CertainTeed Cedar Impressions® Individual 5” Sawmill Shingles featuring proprietary CedarLife™ Color Blends color-through technology in Rustic Blend, which were chosen by the Friends of Historic Sedgeley and unanimously approved by the Philadelphia Historical Commission for the product’s ability to match the design of the Boathouse’s original shingles and maintain the integrity of its architecture.

“CertainTeed’s Cedar Impressions line is commemorating its 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, we sought out a project where we could demonstrate the product’s ability to preserve the aesthetic of historical buildings and, as a result, provide future generations the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy Philadelphia’s iconic landmarks,” said Pam Schechter, President of CertainTeed Siding. “As a company with a deep history and commitment to diversity and inclusion, we feel especially honored to see our product used on a building with a history of advocating for the advancement of women.”

The evolution of Sedgeley Club began in the late 1880s under Margaret Longstreth Corlies, the leader of a group of “athletic women” who enjoyed bicycling and canoeing along the Schuylkill River but were in need of a home base to relax and store their bikes and barges. Opened in 1903, Sedgeley Club was built around the historic Turtle Rock Lighthouse and has since been named one of the world’s oldest athletic clubs for women.

“The Sedgeley Club has long been identified as a historic icon, recognized by the lighthouse, frequently painted by artists trying to capture the beauty of Boathouse Row,” said Lois Krombolz, President of Friends of Historic Sedgeley. “When we asked CertainTeed for advice on how to renovate the Boathouse without compromising its architecture, they offered us more than we could have imagined through the donation of a product that maintains historical design integrity while withstanding strong weather conditions.”

The CertainTeed Cedar Impressions installation is expected to be complete in November 2017. To learn more about the CertainTeed Cedar Impressions product, visit: http://bit.ly/2yTZayO.

About CertainTeed

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 110 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm’s slogan “Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed® is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest and oldest building products companies, CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 5,700 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The group had total sales of approximately $3.4 billion in 2016. www.certainteed.com

By offering the most in selection, beauty and performance, CertainTeed has been voted the number-one brand for vinyl siding products by building professionals for 21 consecutive years, according to the Hanley Wood Brand Use Study. CertainTeed also offers partners higher standards and greater rewards to help grow their business. With the broadest range of exterior products, including polymer, insulated and vinyl siding, as well as roofing, fence, railing, decking and exterior trim, CertainTeed provides unmatched Freedom of Choice® with the option to mix and match products, styles and colors for a beautifully coordinated look. For more information, visit www.certainteed.com/freedomofchoice.

About Saint-Gobain in North America

Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions, helps create great living spaces by combining comfort and sustainability. For more than three-and-a-half centuries, Saint-Gobain has been enhancing the wellbeing of people everywhere, whether it’s by addressing climate change, delivering true sustainable development, advancing the information revolution, participating in medical breakthroughs or playing a vital role in space exploration.

In North America, Saint-Gobain has approximately 150 locations and more than 14,000 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $5.8 billion in 2016. Learn more about Saint-Gobain North America by visiting www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com and connect with Saint-Gobain North America on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Friends of Historic Sedgeley

Friends of Historic Sedgeley (FHS) is a non-profit organization with the mission of preserving the historic Sedgeley Club Boathouse and Lighthouse – also known as the Light on Turtle Rock. The boathouse including the lighthouse tower became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. FHS strives to educate the public about the boathouse and the lighthouse by hosting tours several times per year. The Lighthouse is of particular preservation interest, since it is the only lighthouse in Philadelphia. The boathouse was founded as one of the first athletic clubs for women in the country; financed, owned and run by women since 1903.

About Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia

The Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the non-profit organization that governs Boathouse Row and the rowing community in the Philadelphia region, is the oldest amateur sporting association in the United States. Founded in 1858, it has staged over 600 events including Philadelphia’s two largest, annual sprint regattas (The Stotesbury Cup and Independence Day Regattas). It is chartered by its eighteen member clubs on Boathouse Row and upriver “to secure collective action and promote amateurism on the Schuylkill.” Today, that charter includes ongoing work to address Schuylkill River and Boathouse Row infrastructure and stewardship, to promote access and engagement on the river, and to develop future generations of coaches, leaders, and Olympic athletes.