Tag: philadelphia

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

March 16, 2015 /

Sponsored by East Falls Historical Society
Saturday, April 18 at 10:00 a.m.
(rescheduled from October, when heavy rain forced postponement).
The fee is $15, or $10 for EFHS members.
The tour will occupy about one hour and 45 minutes. Comfortable walking shoes are advised!

The upper or eastern part of East Falls, formerly known as Queen Lane Manor, within a few-block area 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.

Creating and leading the tour are Steven J. Peitzman, professor of medicine at Drexel University and a long-time architecture enthusiast; and Ken Hinde, lecturer and tour guide formerly with the Foundation for Architecture and the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks.

The history of the Queen Lane Manor district, The Oak Road, the Queen Lane Reservoir and Filters, and more, will also be discussed. The postponement in fact allowed the tour leaders to conduct further research about the region and its buildings – it’s more interesting than even they had imagined!

The tour will meet at the Revolutionary War monument on the southeast corner of Queen Lane and Fox Street. There is ample street parking in the area, and the meeting location is a short walk from the Queen Lane Station of the Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail Line. The K bus stops at the location.

For more information, contact Steven Peitzman at peitzmansj@gmail.com.

HARRISON’S FOLLY

February 27, 2015 /

2015-03-30 Harrison's Folly
co-sponsored with The Oliver Evans Chapter, Society for Industrial Archeology

by Patty McCarthy, Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History

Monday, March 30
5:30 Wine/Beer & Cheese, 6:30 Program
Registration required at oliverevanssia@outlook.com

Cost: $10 for those who register in advance, $15 for non-registered, Payable at the door.

Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Waterworks Dr.
Since the Art Museum and Restaurant are closed, you can park on the circle around the Seahorse Fountain, closer to FWWIC.

“Some persons care little or nothing for the past. Musty records and old things have no charm for them.” Joseph Harrison Jr., The Locomotive Engineer and Philadelphia’s Share In Its Early Improvements, 1872

Joseph Harrison Jr. (1810-1874), engineer, inventor, art collector, writer and one-time major property owner in Northeast Philadelphia, was not a person who cared “little or nothing for the past.”  The quote above is the opening passage of his 1872 history of the early development of the locomotive, a history in which Harrison himself played a significant role [as creator of the Harrison Safety Boiler]. In 2013, a collection of photographs came to light offering previously unknown views of Harrison’s unusual mid-19th-century estate stretching from Holmesburg to Torresdale along the Delaware River.  The photos were taken in 1901 by the Philadelphia Water Department to document its demolition of the estate for construction of the new Torresdale Water Treatment Plant on the site.  The images are part of an album that includes mechanical drawings and other technical materials on the plant’s construction.  In the 1950s, a superintendent at the plant rescued the album from a junk pile and gave it to his son-in-law Henry Kalinowski, also a superintendent at the plant.  The album eventually passed into the possession of Kalinowski’s daughter Vivian Haggerty, who is a neighbor of local historian Pat Worthington Stopper.  Stopper arranged for the album’s donation to the Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History.  As revealed in the photos, “Harrison’s Folly,” as the estate came to be known, was an interesting and unusual property. The same could be said for the man who built it.  Join Patty McCarthy to learn about this fascinating slice of Philly history.(Text adapted from Northeast Times, August 27, 2014)

White Towers Revisited Gallery Tour & Talk

February 15, 2015 /

Thursday, February 19, 2015
Harvey and Irwin Kroiz Gallery,
Architectural Archives University of Pennsylvania School of Design
220 South 34th Street, Philadelphia

TOUR 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Join exhibition curators, William Whitaker and Paul Hirshorn for a lively discussion and tour of the exhibition.

LECTURE 6:00 p.m. by Paul Hirshorn

Taking on the subject of architectural symbolism and communication during the late 1960s was a radical move that opened up new avenues of artist expression and narratives about the development of roadside commercial architecture in the United States.  Steven Izenour and Paul Hirshorn had been sensitized to the subject through their work with Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi and found themselves attracted to the strong architectural character of the White Tower hamburger chain.  In this talk, Paul Hirshorn will share his insights into this remarkable example of architectural ingenuity tied to a corporate purpose and the role that he and Izenour played in uncovering its enduring significance.

Paul Hirshorn was Head of the Department of Architecture at Drexel University from 1986 to 2012, and a member of the faculty since 1974. Following architectural studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Cambridge University, he worked for the firm of Venturi and Rauch.

Looking Backward, Looking Forward: A Comparison of The Athenaeum’s 19th and  21st Century Architectural Competitions

January 22, 2015 /
2015-02-04 Competitions Athenaeum

Image courtesy of: Athenaeum of Philadelphia

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 (snow date Feb. 11) at 6:00 p.m. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S. 6th Street

Curator of Architecture Bruce Laverty will compare the 19th century competition to design the Athenaeum’s current building with the conceptual Looking Forward: Re-Imagining The Athenaeum of Philadelphia competition, the results of which make up the current exhibition at the Athenaeum.  For gallery hours and more information about Looking Forward visit www.philaathenaeum.org/current.html

Co-Sponsored by ICAA Philadelphia and Philadelphia SAH.  ICAA, SAH and Athenaeum Members Free.  RSVP to events@philaathenaeum.org or 215-925-2688.  All Others $10.00, online payments at www.philaathenaeum.org/programs.html