This is a special, one-time version of this tour only for members of CREW!
Experience the transformation of Philadelphia from America's 19th century engine of industry to a 21st century capitol of business and culture. This 2-hour tour explores Philadelphia's diverse range of architectural styles and building technologies from the 1860s to the present, detailing the social, economic, and political forces that shaped the modern cityscape. It is divided into three parts:
Era 1 - Late Victorian / Post Civil War (1870 - 1890)
A period of architectural eclecticism
Stone-age building techniques (masonry) with lots of ornamentation
Era 2 - Birth of the Skyscraper (1890 – 1930)
The adaptation of old forms to new functions (mass manufacturing)
Steel-frame construction disguised behind traditional materials with some ornamentation
Era 3 - The Modern City (1930 – present)
A period of Modernism & Post-Modernism
Curtain wall building technique allows vast, minimalist, glass surfaces
Highlights include the spectacular Victorian interior of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (PAFA); the soaring central court of Philadelphia's first department store, Wanamaker's; and the atrium of Pennsylvania's tallest skyscraper, the Comcast Center.