Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

Philadelphia has recently seen the addition of three major new buildings, the Comcast Center (standing 57 stories high but still under construction), the Cira Centre and the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman building. These architectural additions, along with other modern constructions, blend with Colonial-style buildings as well as structures from eras in between to give the city a distinguished look. The architectural heritage of more than 300 years is visible throughout the city and region with outstanding examples of every type of building and virtually every architectural style found in the United States. Almost 100 buildings have been designated National Historic Landmarks. More than any other city in the country, Philadelphia illustrates the history of American architecture.

A New Nation Finds Its Own Style:
As the leading city of the colonies and the nation’s first capital, Philadelphia was the center of cultural, scientific and civic leadership in the 18th century. It was a principal channel through which changing architectural tastes in England were introduced to the United States. The oldest sections of the city—Old City and Society Hill—contain a concentration of authentic Georgian and Federal architecture. Within these neighborhoods are houses of average citizens along Elfreth’s Alley, as well as the homes of wealthy civic leaders like the Powell House and the Physick House. Distinctive religious buildings like Christ Church, St. Peter’s Church, Old St. Joseph’s Church and the Arch Street Friends Meeting House reflect Pennsylvania’s leadership in religious toleration, and civic buildings such as Independence Hall and Carpenters’ Hall played key roles in the formation of the nation.

Philadelphia Sets The Tone:
In the early 19^th century, Philadelphia architects introduced Greek and Roman forms that became the basis for architecture throughout the United States. Thomas U. Walter, architect of the U.S. Capitol Building, and William Strickland created the Greek revival style, some of the finest examples of which can be found at the Second Bank of the United States and Founder’s Hall at Girard College.

Throughout the century, Philadelphia’s important scientific community placed the city in the forefront of industrial change. At one time, Philadelphia was the largest manufacturing center in the country. New building types and thousands of houses for the rapidly growing population made the 19^th century one of the richest periods in the city’s architectural history. Civic, commercial and residential architecture drew on a variety of styles ranging from High Victorian Gothic to Renaissance, Gothic and Romanesque revivals and Italianate villas. The result was innovative commercial buildings such as the Victory Building and Reading Terminal Headhouse and Train Shed; a wealth of extraordinary private houses in North and West Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill, including Gaul-Forrest House, Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion and Woodmere Art Museum; monumental religious buildings like the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church of the Gesu, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, the Church of the Advocate and the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; and extraordinary civic buildings such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Library of the University of Pennsylvania. This century of monumental building culminated with Philadelphia’s City Hall, the largest municipal building in the country and the finest example of the Second Empire style.

Moving Into Modern Day:
The early 20^th century saw Philadelphia grow to be the third largest city in the country. The downtown was transformed by City Beautiful, a national city beautification movement to improve urban living, and by the growth of transportation and commerce. The new Benjamin Franklin Parkway followed the Beaux Arts influence of Paris with handsome civic buildings like the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Horace Trumbauer and his associate, Julian Abele, one of the country’s first African American architects. Buildings for business and commerce reflected the emergence of new technologies that would lead to late 20th-century skyscrapers. Daniel Burnham’s Land Title Building and John Wanamaker Building and George Howe’s landmark PSFS Building—the first International Style skyscraper in the country—contributed to the changing character of the city.

In the later half of the 20th century, Philadelphia was an acknowledged leader in urban renewal, architectural design and education. The School of Fine Arts of the University of Pennsylvania attracted outstanding teachers and graduated architects who would become both locally and nationally prominent. Louis I. Kahn and Robert Venturi, both associated with the university, produced their first significant buildings in Philadelphia with the Richards Medical Research Building and the Guild House. I.M. Pei and Frank Lloyd Wright added to their accomplishments with the Society Hill Towers and the Beth Sholom Synagogue. By the end of the century, striking skyscrapers, like One Liberty Place, had surpassed the height of City Hall, and a new generation of architects was adding to Philadelphia’s collection of American architecture.

New Buildings On The Block:

The most playful feature of the city’s new skyline is the Cira Centre, with four glass sides that dance with colorful light shows every evening. The 28-story office tower, designed by César Pelli, is connected to Amtrak’s 30^th Street Station, making it an ideal location for conducting business on the East Coast. The tower’s light-filled lobby served as the setting for scenes from the film Rocky Balboa.

A 1927 Art Deco building was reborn as the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman building in September 2007. Across the street from the Neo Classical museum, the Perelman building is just as impressive inside as out. It houses the museum’s vast costume and textile collection, as well as modern and contemporary design and photographs. The most stunning features include a soaring skylit walkway, a glass-walled study gallery, a cathedral entrance and a red-walled café overlooking a landscaped terrace.

In 2007, Philadelphia aspired to go even higher with the construction of the Comcast Center, world headquarters for the nation’s largest cable company. At 57 stories, the glass curtain-walled building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern, boasts the designation of tallest building between New York and Chicago. More importantly, it’s LEED certified, with a sustainable building design.

Philly sports fans were hopeful that the building would erase the city’s fabled curse—no team had won a world championship since Liberty Place surpassed William Penn atop City Hall. To break the curse, Comcast (owner of the 76ers and Flyers) and building owner/manager Liberty Property Trust placed a small statue of William Penn on the top beam of the building. And in October 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series—a feat they’re looking to repeat in 2009.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Contact(s):

• Caroline Bean, (215) 599-7433