Overview

At the very beginning of the interwar period, a small collection of formally trained architects created a distinctive residential type which can undoubtedly be recognized as a Philadelphia landmark. They surpassed the conventional pseudo-classic or neo-Gothic eclectic solution by a unique adaptation of the principles and criteria of design to suit the expression of the exclusive cultural tradition of the clients and to respond to the natural environment. The works of three Philadelphia architectural firms -- Mellor, Meigs and Howe, McGoodwin, and Willing and Sims -- are analyzed to explore this proposition, using six houses constructed between 1917 and 1928 as a basis. These homes and others located in the historic Chestnut Hill neighborhood are aesthetically pleasing. But they also represent a break with the past, the emergence of a new ‘type’ which is among the architectural design innovations of the last century generally conceived as ‘organic’ architecture. This work, which contains over 200 photographs and drawings, considers the houses, the training and development of the architects, the creation and development of Chestnut Hill itself, and the larger, distinct culture of Philadelphia in contributing to the emergence of this distinctive and lasting style.

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9781538172568

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Reviews

"""The Philadelphia House: Organic Architecture and Placemaking in Chestnut Hill"" addresses to the characteristics of the iconic Chestnut Hills residences that emerged in the early twentieth century industrial society shaped by Philadelphia's Quaker culture and artistic aspirations. They possess lasting effects still evident today. As an architect who lived in a Chestnut Hill house straddling the edge of the Wissahickon Park and was designed by Willing, Sims and Talbutt, I found that the book portrays and echoes, with rigor and clarity, all the features particular to the Chestnut Hill house architectural paradigm. It captures the architects' extraordinary collaboration with local craftsmen creating enduring architecture embedded and woven into the outstanding social community created by the Woodward and Houston families in the beginning years of the last century. The book captures the sensitivity of the unique Chestnut Hill house designs that seamlessly unite the needs of family life, privacy, community engagement, utilization of local materials, craftsmanship, and Quaker societal values in early twentieth century Philadelphia. Remarkably appealing and cohesive residences resulted. Using the example of the courtyard as an essential element organizing the house and garden into a unified entity, the book defines the much- admired qualities that signify the ""Chestnut Hill house"". Further, the book masterfully explores the various design influences of the Beaux Arts and the formative days of the American schools of Architecture that are evidenced in the featured houses. Architects, architectural historians, and those living in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia as well as in similar communities throughout the country will want to acquire this multifaceted treatise about The Philadelphia House. Dozens of illustrations of these houses and their landscaping will add both insight and enjoyment for readers."

"""The Philadelphia House: Organic Architecture and Placemaking in Chestnut Hill"" addresses to the characteristics of the iconic Chestnut Hills residences that emerged in the early twentieth century industrial society shaped by Philadelphia's Quaker culture and artistic aspirations. They possess lasting effects still evident today. As an architect who lived in a Chestnut Hill house straddling the edge of the Wissahickon Park and was designed by Willing, Sims and Talbutt, I found that the book portrays and echoes, with rigor and clarity, all the features particular to the Chestnut Hill house architectural paradigm. It captures the architects' extraordinary collaboration with local craftsmen creating enduring architecture embedded and woven into the outstanding social community created by the Woodward and Houston families in the beginning years of the last century. The book captures the sensitivity of the unique Chestnut Hill house designs that seamlessly unite the needs of family life, privacy, community engagement, utilization of local materials, craftsmanship, and Quaker societal values in early twentieth century Philadelphia. Remarkably appealing and cohesive residences resulted. Using the example of the courtyard as an essential element organizing the house and garden into a unified entity, the book defines the much- admired qualities that signify the ""Chestnut Hill house"". Further, the book masterfully explores the various design influences of the Beaux Arts and the formative days of the American schools of Architecture that are evidenced in the featured houses. --Richard J. Farley, FAIA, PE, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, Weitzman School of Design Architects, architectural historians, and those living in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia as well as in similar communities throughout the country will want to acquire this multifaceted treatise about The Philadelphia House. Dozens of illustrations of these houses and their landscaping will add both insight and enjoyment for readers. --David Contosta, author of Suburb in the City: Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia; The Houstons and Woodwards of Chestnut Hill; and coauthor, with Carol Franklin, of Philadelphia's Wissahickon Valley"

Author Information

Khosrow Borzogi is a Professor of Architecture, the founder of the Ph.D. Program in Planning, Design, and Construction at the University of Oklahoma, and also the creator of the Center for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture at the University of Oklahoma. He teaches Architectural Design, Diplomacy Lab, Graduate Studio, Middle Eastern Architecture, Professional Project Research, Urban Design Studio, and Architecture for Non-Majors among other seminars in the Gibbs College. Dr. Borzogi previously was on the architecture faculty of the University of Tehran. He has over 30 years of professional experience as a project designer working with large, international architectural firms in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. His publications and other creative works include articles in the Journal of Preservation Digital Technology and Culture, American International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, ATSA ARCHITECTS, Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, as well as the film ‘The Unity of Being: The Hidden Manifestation of Indoor- Outdoor Relationships in Traditional Sustainable Desert Architecture of Iran;’ numerous public exhibitions; and public lectures at Kerman University, Qatar University, Shahid Beheshti University (Tehran), (Tehran University), University of Science and Technology (Tehran), Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (Washington, D.C.), Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China), and UNESCO, among others. Keith Gåddie is President’s Associates Presidential Professor of Architecture, associate dean of the college, and special assistant to the university president at the University of Oklahoa. Since 2010 he has also been editor of the journal Social Science Quarterly. He teaches Architecture of Democracy, 5th Year Design Studio, and Professional Project Research in the Gibbs College. Keith studies the built environment and democratic values. His most recent book, The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces, explores the architecture and meaning of the Supreme Court and the overall evolution of the concept of ‘courthouse’ and U.S. judicial architecture. He is author or coauthor of over 20 other books including the forthcoming Democracy’s Meaning: How the Public Understands Democracy and Why It Matters (Michigan), Regulating Wetlands Protection (SUNY Press), Triumph of Voting Rights In the South (OU Press), Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act (OU Press), The Three Governors Controversy: Skullduggery, Machinations, and the Decline of Georgia’s Progressive Politics (Georgia), and The Economic Realities of Political Reform (Cambridge). He has also published roughly 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and professional monographs.

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