On the Threshold (Salvaged Stoops, Philadelphia) is a monument to Philadelphia’s distinct neighborhood cultures and varied historic and vernacular architectures, as told through the iconic architectural element of entryway steps, or the stoop. A feature originally associated with Dutch architecture (the Dutch stoep meaning "step"), stoops are prominent on Philadelphia buildings ranging from common row houses to more elite homes. A threshold between private and public space, the stoop functions as a space of social interaction, of relaxation, and of participation. As urban theorist Jane Jacobs described, the stoop is part of an "eyes on the street" community practice, a way for residents to participate, watch, and take care of social spaces.

This monument consists of a dozen stoops that have been salvaged from recently demolished buildings around the city of Philadelphia, and reconstructed using historical and traditional masonry techniques by Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers Local 1 PA-DE. These fragments-become-whole-again invite viewers to consider the vast changes taking place in the landscape of Philadelphia—the city's architectural and social histories, and what is being lost as well as preserved in a time of rampant development. They remind us of how built space shapes social space, and ask us to be active citizens in matters pertaining to the landscape of Philadelphia as it passes into this new threshold of economic growth.

As relics of bygone buildings, the stoops also invite viewers to contemplate the history of Washington Square Park as a site of lives lost and histories buried, as the park once functioned as a common burial ground—or potter’s field—for many years before becoming a public park. These unmarked pieces of material history recall the unmarked lives and stories buried below the soil.

The stoops line Washington Square Park’s easternmost passage, inviting viewers to sit, pass by, engage, and remember. The project will feature a “stoop stories” audio and photo collection, which will be featured in a public archive and with news media partners. Finally, the living vernacular architecture of stoops can be explored in the artist’s Instagram project account, @stoop_phenomena_.