In Defense Of Consolidation, 160 Years Later
If you think Philadelphia is provincial now, you should have seen it in 1853! On its 160th anniversary, Sam Robinson examines the history of the Consolidation Act of 1854, and the reasons it was necessary > more
Behind Philadelphia Maneto: Dissecting The City Seal
A cornucopia, a scroll, a shield with a plough and a ship, a dismembered arm balancing scales, two gals named Peace and Plenty—they're everywhere you look. Sam Robinson finds that the Seal of Philadelphia as we know it dates to 1908, but its origins date back to the establishment of the modern City government in 1789 > more
Preparing A Provident Future
From its three-masted ship atop a golden domed cupola, the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Building has watched over its West Philadelphia neighborhood for 85 years. In telling its history, Sam Robinson finds the relationship between building and neighborhood tenuous. As the City makes plans to relocate the Police headquarters and Public Health offices there, the relationship might continue that way > more
Diffused Down Below: Philadelphia’s Lost Vault Lights
In this old city—especially in Old City—plain old stone and concrete sidewalks are occasionally dotted by iron plates with small, thick pieces of glass. Sam Robinson goes underground to see how vault lights used to provide diffused light to commercial and residential basement spaces > more
Of Philadelphia Maps And Mapmakers
As the city grew, so too did the need to properly document its growth. Sam Robinson takes a look at how the insurance industry shaped mapping technology, and finds out who Hexamer, Bromley, and other familiar historic map names really are > more
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