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The Colonial Architecture
of Philadelphia

Nine hundred and seventy-five copies of The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia, of which nine hundred and fifty are for sale, have been printed from type and the type distributed.
 
This copy is Number 201

Copyright, 1920,

By Little, Brown, and Company.

All rights reserved

v

Foreword

So many books have been published which are devoted wholly or in part to the fine old Colonial residences and public buildings of Philadelphia, including Germantown, that it might seem almost the part of temerity to suppose there could be a place for another one. A survey of the entire list, however, discloses the fact that almost without exception these books are devoted primarily to a picture of the city in Colonial times, to the stories of its old houses and other buildings now remaining, or to an account of the activities of those who peopled them from one to two centuries ago. Some more or less complete description of the structures mentioned has occasionally been included, to be sure, but almost invariably this has been subordinate to the main theme. The narrative has been woven upon a historical rather than an architectural background, so that these books appeal to the tourist, historian and antiquary rather than to the architect, student and prospective home builder.

Interesting as was the provincial life of this community; absorbing as are the reminiscences attaching to its well-known early buildings; important as vi were the activities of those who made them part and parcel of our national life, the Colonial architecture of this vicinity is in itself a priceless heritage—extensive, meritorious, substantial, distinctive. It is a heritage not only of local but of national interest, deserving detailed description, analysis and comparison in a book which includes historic facts only to lend true local color and impart human interest to the narrative, to indicate the sources of affluence and culture which aided so materially in developing this architecture, and to describe the life and manners of the time which determined its design and arrangement. Such a book the authors have sought to make the present volume, and both Mr. Riley in writing the text and Mr. Cousins in illustrating it have been actuated primarily by architectural rather than historic values, although in most instances worthy of inclusion the two are inseparable.

For much of the historic data the authors acknowledge their indebtedness to the authors of previous Philadelphia books, notably "Philadelphia, the City and Its People" and "The Literary History of Philadelphia", Ellis Paxon Oberholtzer; "Old Roads Out of Philadelphia" and "The Romance of Old Philadelphia", John Thomson Faris; "The History of Philadelphia" and "Historic Mansions of Philadelphia", T. Westcott; "The Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighborhood", Harold Donaldson vii Eberlein and Horace Mather Lippincott; "Colonial Mansions ", Thomas Allen Glenn; "The Guide Book to Historic Germantown", Charles Francis Jenkens; "Germantown Road and Its Associations", Townsend Ward. Ph. B. Wallace, of Philadelphia, photographed some of the best subjects.

The original boundaries of Philadelphia remained unchanged for one hundred and seventy-five years after the founding of the city, the adjoining territory, as it became populated, being erected into corporated districts in the following order: Southwark, 1762; Northern Liberties, 1771; Moyamensing, 1812; Spring Garden, 1813; Kensington, 1820; Penn, 1844; Richmond, 1847; West Philadelphia, 1851; and Belmont, 1853. In 1854 all these districts, together with the boroughs of Germantown, Frankford, Manayunk, White Hall, Bridesburg and Aramingo, and the townships of Passyunk, Blockley, Kingsessing, Roxborough, Germantown, Bristol, Oxford, Lower Dublin, Moreland, Byberry, Delaware and Penn were abolished by an act of the State legislature, and the boundaries of the city of Philadelphia were extended to the Philadelphia county lines.

Such of these outlying communities as had been settled prior to the Revolution were closely related to Philadelphia by common interests, a common provincial government and a common architecture. For these reasons, therefore, it seems more logical viii that this treatise devoted to the Colonial architecture of the first capitol of the United States should embrace the greater city of the present day rather than confine itself to the city proper of Colonial times. Otherwise it would be a problem where to draw the line, and much of value would be omitted. The wealth of material thus comprehended is so great, however, that it is impossible in a single book of ordinary size to include more than a fractional part of it. An attempt has therefore been made to present an adequate number of representative types chosen with careful regard, first, to their architectural merit, and second, to their historic interest. Exigencies of space are thus the only reason for the omission of numerous excellent houses without historic association and others rich in history but deficient in architecture.

Frank Cousins and Phil M. Riley.

April 1, 1920

Contents

ix

chapter   page   Foreword v I. Philadelphia Architecture 1 II. Georgian Country Houses of Brick

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">16 III. City Residences of Brick 38 IV. Ledge-stone Country Houses 53 V. Plastered Stone Country Houses 69 VI. Hewn Stone Country Houses 86 VII. Doorways and Porches 101 VIII. Windows and Shutters 134 IX. Halls and Staircases 153 X. Mantels and Chimney Pieces 169 XI. Interior Wood Finish 185 XII. Public Buildings 196   Index 227

x

 

List of Plates

xi

I. Doorway, Cliveden, Germantown Frontispiece   page II. Old Mermaid Inn, Mount Airy; Old Red Lion Inn 6 III. Camac Street, "The Street of Little Clubs"; Woodford, Northern Liberties, Fairmount Park. Erected by William Coleman in 1756 7 IV. Stenton, Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected by James Logan in 1727 12 V. Hope Lodge, Whitemarsh Valley. Erected by Samuel Morris in 1723; Home of Stephen Girard 13 VI. Port Royal House, Frankford. Erected in 1762
by Edward Stiles 16 VII. Blackwell House, 224 Pine Street. Erected about 1765 by John Stamper; Wharton House, 336 Spruce Street. Erected prior to 1796 by Samuel Pancoast 17

tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">VIII. Morris House, 225 South Eighth Street. Erected in 1786 by John Reynolds 20 IX. Wistar House, Fourth and Locust Streets. Erected about 1750; Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street 21 X. Glen Fern, on Wissahickon Creek, Germantown. Erected about 1747 by Thomas Shoemaker; Grumblethorpe, 5261 Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1744 by John Wister 24 XI. xii Upsala, Germantown Avenue and Upsala Streets, Germantown. Erected in 1798
by John Johnson; End Perspective of Upsala 25 XII. The Woodlands, Blockley Township, West Philadelphia. Erected in 1770 by William Hamilton; Stable at The Woodlands 28 XIII. Wyck, Germantown Avenue and Walnut Lane, Germantown. Erected by Hans Millan about 1690; Hall and Entrance Doorways, Wyck 29 XIV. Mount Pleasant, Northern Liberties, Fairmount Park. Erected in 1761 by Captain James Macpherson; The Main House, Mount Pleasant 32 XV. Deschler-Perot-Morris House, 5442 Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1772 by Daniel Deschler; Vernon, Vernon Park, Germantown. Erected in 1803 by James Matthews 33 XVI. Loudoun, Germantown Avenue and Apsley Street, Germantown. Erected in 1801 by Thomas Armat; Solitude, Blockley Township, Fairmount Park. Erected in 1785
by John Penn 34 XVII. Cliveden, Germantown Avenue and Johnson Street, Germantown. Erected in 1781 by Benjamin Chew 35 XVIII. Detail of Cliveden Façade; Detail of Bartram House Façade 40 XIX. The Highlands, Skippack Pike, Whitemarsh. Erected in 1796 by Anthony Morris 41 XX. xiii Bartram House, Kingsessing, West Philadelphia. Erected in 1730-31 by John Bartram; Old Green Tree Inn, 6019 Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1748 46 XXI. Johnson House, 6306 Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1765-68 by Dirck Jansen; Billmeyer House, Germantown Avenue, Germantown. Erected in 1727 47 XXII. Hooded Doorway, Johnson House, Germantown; Hooded Doorway, Green Tree Inn 52 XXIII. Pedimental Doorway, 114 League Street; Pedimental Doorway, 5933 Germantown Avenue

class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">53 XXIV. Doorway, 5011 Germantown Avenue; Doorway, Morris House, 225 South Eighth Street 56 XXV. Doorway, 6504 Germantown Avenue; Doorway, 709 Spruce Street 57 XXVI. Doorway, 5200 Germantown Avenue; Doorway, 4927 Frankford Avenue 60 XXVII. xiv Doorway, Powel House, 244 South Third Street; Doorway, Wharton House, 336 Spruce Street 61 XXVIII. Doorway, 301 South Seventh Street 64 XXIX. Doorway, Grumblethorpe, 5621 Germantown Avenue; Doorway, 6105
Germantown Avenue 65 XXX. Doorway, Doctor Denton's House, Germantown 68 XXXI. West Entrance, Mount Pleasant, Fairmount Park; East Entrance, Mount Pleasant 69 XXXII. Doorway, Solitude, Fairmount Park; Doorway, Perot-Morris House, 5442
Germantown Avenue 72 XXXIII. Entrance Porch and Doorway, Upsala, Germantown; Elliptical Porch and Doorway, 39 Fisher's Lane, Wayne Junction 73 XXXIV. Doorway, 224 South Eighth Street; Doorway, Stenton 78 XXXV. Doorway and Ironwork, Southeast Corner of Eighth and Spruce Streets 79 XXXVI. Doorway and Ironwork, Northeast Corner of Third and Pine Streets; Stoop with Curved Stairs and Iron Handrail, 316 South Third Street 84 XXXVII. Stoop and Balustrade, Wistar House; Stoop and Balustrade, 130 Race Street 85 XXXVIII. Detail of Iron Balustrade, 216 South Ninth Street; Stoop with Wing Flights, 207 La Grange Alley 88 XXXIX. Iron Newel, Fourth and Liberty Streets; Iron Newel, 1107 Walnut Street 89 XL. Footscraper, Wyck; Old Philadelphia Footscraper; Footscraper, Third and Spruce Streets; Footscraper, Dirck-Keyser House, Germantown

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@29334@[email protected]#Page_92" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">92 XLI. Footscraper, 320 South Third Street; Footscraper, South Third Street; Footscraper, Vernon, Germantown; Footscraper, 239 Pine Street 93 XLII. xv Iron Stair Rail and Footscraper, South Seventh Street (section); Iron Stair Rail and Footscraper, South Fourth Street (section); Iron Stair Rail and Footscraper, Seventh and Locust Streets (section); Iron Stair Rail and Footscraper, Seventh and Locust Streets (section) 98 XLIII. Detail of Window and Shutters, Morris House 99 XLIV. Window and Shutters, Free Quakers' Meeting House, Fifth and Arch Streets; Second Story Window, Free Quakers' Meeting House 102 XLV. Detail of Window, Combes Alley; Window and Shutters, Cliveden; Window, Bartram House 103 XLVI. Window, Stenton; Window and Shutters, 128 Race Street 106 XLVII. Dormer, Witherill House, 130 North Front Street; Dormer, 6105 Germantown Avenue, Germantown; Foreshortened Window, Morris House; Dormer, Stenton; Window and Shutters, Witherill House; Window and Blinds, 6105 Germantown Avenue 107 XLVIII. Shutter Fastener, Cliveden; Shutter Fastener, Wyck; Shutter Fastener, Perot-Morris House; Shutter Fastener, 6043 Germantown Avenue 110 LIX. Detail of Round Headed Window, Congress Hall; Detail of Round Headed Window, Christ Church 111 L. Fenestration, Chancel End, St. Peter's Church 114 LI. Details of Round Headed Windows, Christ Church 115 LII. Chancel Window, Christ Church; Palladian Window and Doorway, Independence Hall 118 LIII. xvi Palladian Window, The Woodlands 119 LIV. Great Hall and Staircase, Stenton 122 LV. Hall and Staircase, Whitby Hall; Detail of Staircase, Whitby Hall 123 LVI. Hall and Staircase, Mount Pleasant; Second Floor Hall Archway and Palladian Window, Mount Pleasant

href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@29334@[email protected]#Page_126" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">126 LVII. Hall and Staircase, Cliveden; Staircase Detail, Cliveden 127 LVIII. Detail of Staircase Balustrade and Newel, Upsala; Staircase Balustrade, Roxborough 130 LIX. Staircase Detail, Upsala; Staircase Balustrade, Gowen House, Mount Airy 131 LX. Detail of Stair Ends, Carpenter House, Third and Spruce Streets; Detail of Stair Ends, Independence Hall (horizontal section) 134 LXI. Chimney Piece in the Hall, Stenton; Chimney Piece and Paneled Wall, Great Chamber, Mount Pleasant 135 LXII. Chimney Piece and Paneled Wall, Parlor, Whitby Hall 138 LXIII. Chimney Piece, Parlor, Mount Pleasant; Chimney Piece, Parlor, Cliveden 139 LXIV. Chimney Piece and Paneled Wall on the Second Floor of an Old Spruce Street House; Detail of Mantel, 312 Cypress Street 142 LXV. Parlor Mantel, Upsala; Detail of Parlor Mantel, Upsala 143 LXVI. Mantel at Upsala; Mantel at Third andxviiDeLancy Streets 144 LXVII. Mantel, Rex House, Mount Airy; Mantel at 729 Walnut Street 145 LXVIII. Parlor, Stenton; Reception Room, Stenton 148 LXIX. Dining Room, Stenton; Library, Stenton 149 LXX. Pedimental Doorway, First Floor, Mount Pleasant; Pedimental Doorway, Second Floor, Mount Pleasant 152 LXXI. Doorways, Second Floor Hall, Mount Pleasant; Doorway Detail, Whitby Hall 153 LXXII. Inside of Front Door, Whitby Hall; Palladian Window on Stair Landing, Whitby Hall 156 LXXIII. Window Detail, Parlor, Whitby Hall; Window Detail, Dining Room, Whitby Hall

valign="bottom">157 LXXIV. Ceiling Detail, Solitude; Cornice and Frieze Detail, Solitude 160 LXXV. Independence Hall, Independence Square Side. Begun in 1731 161 LXXVI. Independence Hall, Chestnut Street Side 164 LXXVII. Independence Hall, Stairway; Liberty Bell, Independence Hall 165 LXXVIII. Stairway Landing, Independence Hall; Palladian Window at Stairway Landing 170 LXXIX. Declaration Chamber, Independence Hall 171 LXXX. Judge's Bench, Supreme Court Room, Independence Hall; Arcade at Opposite End of Court Room 174 LXXXI. Banquet Hall, Second Floor, IndependencexviiiHall; Entrance to Banquet Hall 175 LXXXII. Congress Hall, Sixth and Chestnut Streets. Completed in 1790; Congress Hall from Independence Square 180 LXXXIII. Stair Hall Details, Congress Hall 181 LXXXIV. Interior Detail of Main Entrance, Congress Hall; President's Dais, Senate Chamber, Congress Hall 190 LXXXV. Gallery, Senate Chamber, Congress Hall 191 LXXXVI. Carpenters' Hall, off Chestnut Street between South Third and South Fourth Streets. Erected in 1770; Old Market House, Second and Pine Streets 196 LXXXVII. Main Building, Pennsylvania Hospital. Erected in 1755 197 LXXXVIII. Main Hall and Double Staircase, Pennsylvania Hospital 206 LXXXIX. Custom House, Fifth and Chestnut Streets. Completed in 1824; Main Building, Girard College. Begun in 1833 207 XC. Old Stock Exchange, Walnut and Dock Streets; Girard National Bank, 116
South Third Street

valign="bottom">210 XCI. Christ Church, North Second Street near Market Street. Erected in 1727-44; Old Swedes' Church, Swanson and Christian Streets. Erected in 1698-1700 211 XCII. St. Peter's Church, South Third and Pine Streets. Erected in 1761; Lectern, St. Peter's Church 216 XCIII. Interior and Chancel, Christ Church; Interior and Lectern, St. Peter'sxixChurch 217 XCIV. Interior and Chancel, Old Swedes' Church; St. Paul's Church, South Third Street near Walnut Street 220 XCV. Mennonite Meeting House, Germantown. Erected in 1770; Holy Trinity Church, South Twenty-first and Walnut Streets 221

Page 1The Colonial Architecture
of Philadelphia

CHAPTER I

PHILADELPHIA ARCHITECTURE

Philadelphia occupies a unique position in American architecture. Few of the early settled cities of the United States can boast so extensive or so notable a collection of dwellings and public buildings in the so-called Colonial style, many of them under auspices that insure their indefinite perpetuation. These beautiful old structures are almost exclusively of brick and stone and of a more elaborate and substantial character than any contemporary work to be found above the Mason and Dixon line which later became in part the boundary between the North and the South. Erected and occupied by the leading men of substance of the Province of Pennsylvania, the fine old countryseats, town residences and public buildings of the "City of Brotherly Love" not only comprise a priceless architectural inheritance, but the glamour of their historic association renders them almost2national monuments, and so object lessons of material assistance in keeping alive the spirit and ideals of true Americanism.

Much of the best Colonial domestic architecture in America is to be found in this vicinity, a great deal of it still standing in virtually its pristine condition as enduring memorials of the most elegant period in Colonial life. Just as men have personality, so houses have individuality. And as the latter is but a reflection of the former, a study of the architecture of any neighborhood gives us a more intimate knowledge of contemporary life and manners, while the history of the homes of prominent personages is usually the history of the community. Such a study is the more interesting in the present instance, however, in that not merely local but national history was enacted within the Colonial residences and public buildings of old Philadelphia. Men prominent in historic incidents of Colonial times which profoundly affected the destiny of the country lived in Philadelphia. The fathers of the American nation were familiar figures on the streets of the city, and Philadelphians in their native city wrote their names large in American history.

Philadelphia was not settled until approximately half a century later than the other early centers of the North,—Plymouth, New York, Salem, Boston and Providence. Georgian archi 3tecture had completely won the approval of the English people, and so it was that few if any buildings showing Elizabethan and Jacobean influences were erected here as in New England. Although several other nationalities were from the first represented in the population, notably the Swedish, Dutch and German, the British were always in the majority, and while a few old houses, especially those with plastered walls, have a slightly Continental atmosphere, all are essentially Georgian or pure Colonial in design and detail.

To understand how this remarkable collection of Colonial architecture came into being, and to appreciate what it means to us, it is necessary briefly to review the early history of Philadelphia. Although some small trading posts had been established by the Swedes and Dutch in the lower valley of the Delaware River from 1623 onward, it was not until 1682 that Philadelphia was settled under a charter which William Penn obtained from Charles II the previous year, providing a place of refuge for Quakers who were suffering persecution in England under the "Clarendon Code." The site was chosen by Penn's commission, consisting of Nathaniel Allen, John Bezan and William Heage, assisted by Penn's cousin, Captain William Markham, as deputy governor, and Thomas Holme as surveyor-general. The Swedes had established a settlement at the mouth of the Schuylkill River 4 not later than 1643, and the site selected by the commissioners was held by three brothers of the Swaenson family. They agreed, however, to take in exchange land in what is now known as the Northern Liberties, and in the summer of 1682, Holme laid out the city extending from the Delaware River on the east to the Schuylkill River on the west—a distance of about two miles—and from Vine Street on the north to Cedar, now South Street, on the south,—a distance of about one mile. Penn landed at New Castle on the Delaware, October 27, 1682, and probably came to his newly founded city soon afterward. A meeting of the Provincial Council was held March 10, 1683, and from that time Philadelphia was the capital of Pennsylvania until 1799, when Lancaster was chosen.

Not only did Penn obtain a grant of land possessed of rare and diversified natural beauty, extreme fertility, mineral wealth and richness of all kinds, but he showed great sagacity in encouraging ambitious men of education and affluence, and artisans of skill and taste in many lines, to colonize it. To these facts are due the quick prosperity which came to Philadelphia and which has made it to this day one of the foremost manufacturing

centers in the United States. Textile, foundry and many other industries soon sprang up to supply the wants of these diligent people three thousand miles from the mother country and to provide a 5 basis of trade with the rest of the world. Shipyards were established and a merchant marine built up which soon brought to Philadelphia a foreign and coastwise commerce second to none in the American colonies. Local merchants engaged in trade with Europe and the West Indies, and these profitable ventures soon brought great affluence and a high degree of culture. By the time of the Revolution Philadelphia had become the largest, richest, most extravagant and fashionable city of the American colonies. Society was gayer, more polished and distinguished than anywhere else this side of the Atlantic.

Among the skilled artisans attracted by the promise of Penn's "Sylvania" were numerous carpenters and builders. Penn induced James Portius to come to the new world to design and execute his proprietary buildings, and Portius was accompanied and followed by others of more or less skill in the same and allied trades. While some of the building materials and parts of the finished woodwork were for a time brought from England, local skill and resources were soon equal to the demands, as much of their handiwork still existing amply shows. As early as 1724 the master carpenters of the city organized the Carpenters' Company, a guild patterned after the Worshipful Company of Carpenters of London, founded in 1477. Portius was one of the leading members, and on his 6 death in 1736 laid the foundation of a valuable builders' library by giving his rare collection of early architectural books to the company.

Toward the middle of the eighteenth century American carpenters and builders everywhere, Philadelphia included, were materially aided by the appearance of handy little ready reference books of directions for joinery containing measured drawings with excellent Georgian detail. Such publications became the fountainhead of Colonial design. They taught our local craftsmen the technique of building and the art of proportion; instilled in their minds an appreciation of classic motives and the desire to adapt the spirit of the Renaissance to their own needs and purposes. In those days some knowledge of architecture was considered essential to every gentleman's education, and with the aid of these builders' reference books many men in other professions throughout the country became amateur architects of no mean ability as a pastime. In and about Philadelphia their Georgian adaptations, often tempered to a degree by the Quaker preference for the simple and practical, contributed much to the charm and distinction of local architecture. To such amateur architects we owe Independence Hall, designed by Andrew Hamilton, speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and Christ Church, designed mainly by Doctor John Kearsley.