We are pleased to present video recordings of past programs by our distinguished speakers. Click on the titles or images below to be redirected to the YouTube page where you can watch each recording.

Shanken and Lewis on Memorials, Mar 2023

A. Shanken and M. Lewis discuss Shanken’s new book in this event, “Why Memorials are Strange: A Book Chat About the Everyday Life of Memorials”

A. Willis, Joe Bright, Architect, Dec 2022

In “Joe Bright, Architect (1905-1976): From Penn to Pioneering Modernism in Southern Georgia,” Dr. Al Willis speaks about the fascinating career of a designer grappling with introducing Modern design principles to a traditional society.

Shockley and Tunick, Samuel Sloan in Chambersburg, Oct 2022

Historians and terra cotta experts Jay Shockley and Susan Tunick reveal a recent discovery attributing the Chambersburg, Pa. county courthouse to architect Samuel Sloan based on its terra-cotta connection.

Phila Chapter of the SAH Annual Pizza and Pictures Event, Feb 1, 2022

Short presentations by G. Bryant on Mexican Modernists; B. Laverty on Portraits of the City by Lukowicz; P. Ravacon on Walter H. Thomas. V. Aplenc on Cultural Landscapes of Slovenia; P. Spilner on Thomas U. Walter’s Mansion for Jacob Levy Florance; J. Cohen on Residences by J.P. Sims in “the New Germantown”; G. Prichard on the soon-to-be-demolished Ardmore Train Station

P. Spilner, Thomas U. Walter and the Villas of Girard Avenue, Nov 2021

Paula Spilner reveals the fascinating history she’s uncovered about the role that renowned architect Thomas U. Walter played in the development of the Green Hill suburb of Philadelphia in the 19th century.

P. Meninato, Slum Upgrading Tactics in Latin America, May 2021

Pablo Meninato, Temple University, examines the relationship between urban design and social equity in “Architecture Confronting Inequality: Slum Upgrading Tactics in Latin America.” The talk was delivered on May 27, 2021.

K. Block, Lankenau Hospital, Mar. 2021

Kevin Block reviews the career of mid-century Modern Philadelphia architect Vincent Kling and his fascinating work for Lankenau Hospital in Lower Merion. The lecture was delivered on Mar. 25, 2021.

A. Willis, Alfred Panepinto, Modernist?, Mar. 2021

In “Alfred Panepinto, Modernist?” scholar Al Willis discusses Philadelphia architect Panepinto’s work for Sun Oil Company’s J. Howard Pew as well as some of his many commissions for academic institutions. Part of the chapter’s “The Elusive Philadelphia School; The Many Guises of Philadelphia’s Modernism” lecture series, this talk was originally presented on Mar. 11, 2021 and followed by a lively Q+A session; due to technical problems, the talk had to be re-recorded in April with no audience (and therefore the original Q+A is lost).

E. Browne, Flemish or Huguenot Bond, Oct 2020

Elizabeth (Libby) Browne investigates sources that suggest French Huguenot roots for what we Americans typically call Flemish bond brick. The lecture was delivered on Oct 21, 2020.

G. Prichard, Exploring Lower Merion’s Architectural Archive, Aug. 2020

Greg Prichard, Historic Preservation Planner for Lower Merion Township, reveals a century of architectural history from the township archives. Lower Merion is home to great Main Line estates, commercial landmarks, and countless other significant historic resources. This talk, the chapter’s inaugural zoom presentation, was first delivered on Aug 5, 2020, followed by a lengthy Q+A session. Mr. Prichard re-delivered the talk on June 22, 2021 so it could be recorded, but without an audience.

Anne E. Krulikowski, West Chester University
Anne explores the craze for green building stone that spanned America’s Gilded Age.  After a brief look at the folklore and history of serpentine around the world, we will focus on Quaker Joseph Brinton’s determination to build a successful business despite numerous obstacles. Hundreds of dwellings, churches, schools, and institutions were faced with Brinton’s serpentine. The green stone became such a recognizable feature in the urban landscape of many cities that green stone buildings featured in short stories, novels, and travel accounts as markers of prosperity and wealth.

ADDITIONAL INFO ON SERPENTINE STONE

Tyler’s Arboretum’s Pink Hill near Media, PA, is a serpentine barren, but currently closed to the public because of a multi-year restoration program.  Serpentine barrens host a unique, sparse ecosystem characterized by specialized, rare, and drought-tolerant plants adapted to toxic, nutrient-poor, heavy-metal-rich soils. Common species include prairie grasses (little bluestem), shrubs (moss phlox, greenbrier, scrub oak), and rare wildflowers like serpentine aster, fameflower, and prairie dropseed.  Pink Hill takes its name from the Mountain Pink (moss phlox) that grew there for decades.  For more details see the 2008 Pink Hill Serpentine Barrens Restoration and Management Plan.

To experience a serpentine outcrop until Pink Hill reopens, you can walk the Serpentine Trail along a serpentine outcrop at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area, Owings Mills, MD, just north of Baltimore.  Before you go, watch this Baltimore Heritage video about the history of the area Isaac Tyson & Soldiers Delight.