Author: info@philachaptersah.org

Curator’s Tour of Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism

November 30, 2015 /

The Philadelphia Chapter Society of Architectural Historians invites you to
A Curator’s Tour of
Barton Myers: Works of Architecture and Urbanism
Thursday, Dec. 10 at 6:00 p.m.
Harvey & Irwin Kroiz Gallery, University of Pennsylvania Architectural Archives,
220 South 34th Street
Free and open to all.
Space is limited, reservations required at info@philachaptersah.org

Myers Residence

Myers Residence

This exhibition explores the remarkable architectural legacy of Barton Myers (GAR ‘64), an architect whose work ranges from stunning houses built of “off the shelf” parts to cutting-edge theater designs. Establishing his practice in Toronto, Canada in 1968, Myers first gained prominence for his “urban consolidation” projects – efforts aimed at countering suburbanization; he returned to the United States in 1984 to open a Los Angeles office, where he received wide acclaim for his performing arts centers and house designs. The exhibition presents more than 150 works, including models and design sketches, and is the first broad examination of the architect’s work to be shown on the East Coast.

Celebrating an Architectural Masterpiece: The 100th Anniversary of the Harrison Rotunda at the Penn Museum

November 2, 2015 /

Penn Musuem lecture_rotunda

Sunday, Nov 8, 2:00 p.m.
Penn Museum, 3260 South Street
Free with Museum admission
http://www.penn.museum/

One of the grandest domes in the country, the Penn Museum’s Harrison rotunda, completed in 1915 and long home to an internationally renowned collection of Chinese art, soars an impressive 90 feet high. David Brownlee, Ph.D., Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of the History of Art, shares his insights into the historical architectural significance of the rotunda and the auditorium that rests directly below. The completion of the rotunda, he notes, demonstrated the University’s great and modern rationality and its sustained commitment to its museum master plan, designed to accommodate infinite expansion of the museum as its collections grew. It also demonstrated the continued experimentation with architectural vocabulary by its very creative architects. Finally, it was assuredly a bravura display of the nearly magical structural capacity of the Guastavino vaulting system.  Alessandro Pezzati, Museum Senior Archivist, shares stories about the construction and opening of these iconic spaces.

Architectural Surprises of Upper East Falls (Queen Lane Manor) Walking Tour

September 9, 2015 /

2015-10-03 East Falls tour Queen Lane Manor Apt Bldg 2

Saturday, October 3, 11:00 a.m., Queen Lane SEPTA station

Free for Phila Chapter SAH members, $10 for their guests, payable on site.

Space is limited, registration is required at info@philachaptersah.org

Within a few blocks the upper or eastern part of East Falls, formerly known as Queen Lane Manor, contains excellent examples of a range of architectural styles: grandiose Beaux Arts, clean and crisp International, Art Deco, Georgian Revival, Gothic revival, Jacobean, and more. The history of the Queen Lane Manor district, The Oak Road, the Queen Lane Reservoir and Filters, and more, will also be discussed. Our guide Steven J. Peitzman, professor of medicine at Drexel University and a long-time architecture enthusiast, developed this tour for the East Falls Historical Society. We will also be joined by Ken Hinde, an authority on Philadelphia architecture and former Director of the Foundation for Architecture’s Tour Program.

The tour will start at the Queen Lane SEPTA station (Chestnut Hill West Line), 5319 Wissahickon Ave. at W. Queen Lane. If coming by train consult SEPTA schedules (www.septa.org). There is ample free parking on weekends at the station if coming by car. The tour will take about 2 hours. Comfortable walking shoes are advised. Bring water or refreshments if you wish, but rest rooms cannot be assured, so plan accordingly. Rain date will be Sunday, October 4. If the tour is moved to Sunday those registered will be emailed no later than 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, it will also be posted on the Phila Chapter SAH website www.philachaptersah.org under Chapter Programs.

CURATOR’S TALK AND TOUR

August 21, 2015 /

2015-09-10 Feats of Clay cropped

Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6:00 p.m.
The Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania
Harvey and Irwin Kroiz Gallery, 220 South 34th Street

John curator’s Frank G. Matero and William Whitaker for a gallery talk and tour of the exhibition, “Feats of Clay: Philadelphia Brick and Terracotta.” This exhibition traces the rise of the brick and terra cotta industry in Philadelphia and its far reaching influences on American architecture and building technology.  The exhibition also seeks to raise the awareness and appreciation of the region’s wealth of historic brick and terra cotta architecture and long craft tradition, as well as their relevance to contemporary sustainable design.

Free and open to Philadelphia Chapter SAH members and their guests.  Registration requested at info@philachaptersah.org.

Vanna Venturi House for Sale

July 15, 2015 /

Vanna Venturi house 002

Robert Venturi’s groundbreaking design for his mother is one of the most influential buildings of the latter half of the 20th century. Named one of the “10 Buildings That Changed America” and widely considered the first post-modern building in the United States, to say it is notable among architects is an understatement. Many world-renowned building designers and critics have made pilgrimages to this residence hidden in the heart of Chestnut Hill.

For more visit http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8330-Millman-St_Philadelphia_PA_19118_M49270-07860?row=1

ATHENAEUM OF PHILADELPHIA SEEKS SATURDAY VOLUNTEERS

July 3, 2015 /

In fall 2008, with the aid of generous volunteers, the Athenaeum began opening on one Saturday per month. Over the years since that time two more Saturdays have been added, again through the good efforts of volunteers. Now the Athenaeum wants to take the next step and begin opening in fall 2015 on all Saturdays in the month, barring holidays and major snowstorms.

Please help with this project. The hours will remain 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on each Saturday. If you have time to volunteer any hours for these Saturdays, please contact Sandra L. Tatman, at 215-925-2688 or sltatman@philaathenaeum.org. Your enthusiasm and willingness to serve are most appreciated!

T. Roney Williamson and Oakbourne

May 15, 2015 /

2015-06-11 Oakbourne Mansion SAR_4954cropped
Thursday, June 11, Reception at 5:30 p.m., Talk at 6:30 p.m.
Oakbourne Park, 1014 S. Concord Rd, West Chester, PA

In 1882 James C. Smith of Philadelphia purchased 143 acres of land in Westtown Township, Chester County with an existing granite mansion. By 1884 the Smiths had enlarged and refurbished the mansion to replace their original summer house and named it “Oakbourne.”  The Queen Anne renovations are attributed to West Chester architect T. Roney Williamson (1852-1896).  Mr. Smith died in 1893 and willed the property to the Philadelphia Protestant Episcopal City Mission with the stipulation that it be used as a retreat for sick and convalescent white women, 23 years of age or older.  For more than 70 years the James C. Smith Memorial Home was opened to guests.  As many as 25 to 30 women convalesced there at any given time. By 1971, however, increasing operational costs forced the home to close its doors.  In 1974 Westtown Township purchased the land for use as a township park.

Our speaker, Jane E. Dorchester, is a historic preservationist, lecturer, local and architectural historian, and writer who has been working in the preservation field since 1983.  She has lectured on a wide variety of history–oriented topics, including “How To Research Your Historic Property,” “What Is Serpentine,” “Section 106 Review,” and “Gothic Revival, Second Empire, and Queen Anne Architectural Styles in Chester County.”

Join us for wine and refreshments at 5:30 p.m. to explore the exterior of this amazing house while the sun is out.  We’ll gather inside at 6:30 p.m. to hear about Oakbourne’s architect and his other work in the area.

$10.00 for Phila SAH members,
$15.00 for all others, payable on site.
Registration required by Sunday, June 7, at info@philachaptersah.org

Thanks to the Westtown Township Historical Commission for hosting this program.

There is no public transportation to Oakbourne, but we may be able to arrange a ride or a pick up at the Media or Paoli Regional Rail stations.  Please email info@philasah.org if you need a way to get to the program.

Narratives of Manners and Style: The Houses of Cross & Cross

May 15, 2015 /

2015-05-15 Cross & Cross

Winterthur Museum & Gardens
Tuesday, May 19 at 6:00 pm
Copeland Lecture Hall
5105 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE
Winterthur recommends using Mapquest for directions as Google Maps sometimes gives inaccurate directions.

Members $5. Nonmembers $15
Register by calling 1-800-448-3883.
Book signing to follow.

Join architect Peter Pennoyer and architectural historian Anne Walker, authors of the new book New York Transformed: The Architecture of Cross & Cross, for a look at two of the early 1900s’ most important but largely forgotten architects. Brothers John and Eliot Cross counted the country’s richest and most influential figures among their clients, yet they tended to gravitate toward an unpretentious luxury—a polite and historically embedded expression of their wealth. They designed several magnificent Colonial Revival houses in New York as well as country houses in fashionable areas such as Long Island’s North Shore and East End, Greenwich, Connecticut, and Far Hills, New Jersey. Most notably, they designed J. Watson and Electra Havemeyer Webb’s Brick House in Shelburne, Vermont (now part of the Shelburne Museum), Chestertown House in Southampton for H. F. du Pont, and the childhood home of famed decorator Sister Parish in Far Hills, New Jersey. Pennoyer and Walker will share gorgeous photos of these homes and insight into the people who lived there and will discuss the influences the Cross brothers used while designing each property