Celebrated architectural writer Francis Morrone returns with a guide to one of the nation's most historical cities--Philadelphia. In addition to including architectural, artistic, and historical insight on its characterizing landmarks, the guide embraces the reader in a quest to realize the city's mysterious legacy--the dichotomous character indicative of its two most famous sons, William Penn and Benjamin Franklin. Meander through Washington Square, Chestnut Hill, Rittenhouse Square, Germantown, and even the infamous Philadelphia Museum of Art.
PHILADELPHIA ARCHITECTURE; a comprehensive guide to 300 years of architectural history describes 253 BUILDINGS with 174 corresponding PHOTOGRAPHS including each building's location, date(s), architect, client, use & its fit into the social & economic history of Philadelphia & its relationship to the evolution of architectural styles. This book is for layperson or architect, resident or visitor. 'A museum of architecture', Philadelphia, more than any American city, represents the history of architecture in the U. S. with its outstanding examples of every important architectural style & period in the country's history. Contains NINE WALKING & DRIVING TOURS, an illustrated GLOSSARY of architectural terms & BIOGRAPHIES of important Philadelphia architects. The companion volume to PHILADELPHIA ARCHITECTURE: PHILADELPHIA'S BEST BUILDINGS: IN (OR NEAR) CENTER CITY. 39-PAGES ($7.95) ISBN (0-9622908-2-3) published by Foundation for Architecture, editor: John Gallery. Highlights 48 significant buildings; colorful MAPS for WALKING TOURS of four areas representing different architectural periods, & PHOTOGRAPHS of each building. Special feature--a list of outstanding buildings of interest to CHILDREN. Guidebook is perfect for the visitor restricted by time who wishes to view a select group of buildings. Call: FFA 215-569-3187; One Penn Center at Suburban Station, Suite 1165, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or Koen Book Distributors.
This is the first comprehensive and fully documented study of Philadelphia's architecture (originally published in hardcover in 1974), covering all sections of the city and covering buildings from all periods, from those that have stood since Colonial times to influential and representative works of the twentieth century. The documentation is based on the latest research available to the authors, including their own extensive searches both in the archives and on the streets.In all, some 450 buildings and/or locations are listed, and about 240 of these are illustrated, in almost every case with a contemporary photograph. The location of each building is noted, along with its date of construction and its architect, when these are known. When applicable, late major alterations are also cited, by date, architect, and extent. And in many cases, brief commentaries are included that place individual buildings in their historic context or that offer critical evaluations of their architectural merits.The book opens with a historical review of architecture and planning in Philadelphia. This is followed be a guide to the city, divided into seven sections, and an abstracted map that the reader can use to pinpoint the locations of the listed buildings. These sections cover the Center City, Fairmount Park, North Philadelphia, the Northeast, South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia (including the University of Pennsylvania campus), and Germantown.The authors stress a sense of area development and general trends, as opposed to the isolated consideration of separate monuments. However, the heterogeneity and diversity that have characterized every period are amply illustrated - highly individualized buildings are pictured in these pages side by side with more "typical" examples of various styles. Much of the best work of architects long identified with the city is shown, ranging from Edmund Woolley and Andrew Hamilton (the architects of Independence Hall) in the eighteenth century; to William Strickland, Frank Furman, Theophilus Chandler, and John McArthur, Jr., in the nineteenth; and to Louis I. Kahn and Robert Venturi in the the twentieth.The book is a boon for the architecturally minded tourist, whether actually walking about the city using the book as a guide or touring Philadelphia from afar and using the book as a well-ordered substitute for the city itself.
Philadelphia is a city of Colonial and ghostly architecture with narrow historic streets that open up onto vistas of bold, towering skyscrapers. It is a city of Greek Revival banks, Italian Renaissance, and Second Empire buildings, a city of Beaux-Arts hotels, Byzantine and Gothic churches, and International-style high-rises. A hybrid of gritty Chicago and pristine Boston, Philadelphia stands alone, an aristocrat in bib overalls, as a livable, intimate city of neighborhoods and luxurious townhouses, of hidden treasures and spectacular surprises. Philadelphia Architecture, a walk through Philadelphia streets past and present, highlights the richness and diversity of the citys architectural history.
