Photography A Century Of Public Events On The Benjamin Franklin Parkway The Historical Society of Pennsylvania takes a look at big public shindigs and the making of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway through rarely seen photographs from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Architecture Cret Exhibition Captures Vibrations Of The City Illustrator Ben Leech enlivens the dying art of architectural drawing with his exhibition, “Cret Illustrated: Revisiting a Philadelphia Icon in Sketches,” at Woodlands Cemetery. Michael Bixler has the preview
Architecture Reaching For The Heavens At Cret’s Tower Of Chimes Turn a corner in Philadelphia and you will eventually run into a building or bridge designed by Paul Phillipe Cret. Celebrated for his broad, arched infrastructure and Neoclassical landmarks, not much is discussed of his cemetery architecture. Contributor Brian Horne takes a trip out to Montgomery County where a 172-foot tower designed by Cret sends a memorial park reaching towards the sky
Art & Design Life Anew For The Living Collections At The Barnes When the Barnes Foundation moved to the Ben Franklin Parkway, they recreated the galleries Albert Barnes crafted to a T. But the Barnes’ living collections—the trees and gardens that his wife Laura crafted to enhance the total Barnes Foundation experience—were immovable. Two years after the art’s relocation, the gorgeous 12-acre Barnes Arboretum is open to the public in a way it never was before
Urbanism The Unbuilt Vision For A Grand Cathedral Road Like so many cities, Philadelphia had such grand postwar visions for urban renewal that only a fraction of them were built—thankfully. Among the unbuilt visions was a grand boulevard that would have linked the Main Line and Chestnut Hill—across new bridges over the Schuylkill and the Wissahickon. Brad Maule explores what might have been on Cathedral Road
Architecture 80 Years Old, University Avenue Bridge Finds Itself At The Center Of The Action New contributor Shadowbat puts the focus on the Art Deco University Avenue Bridge, what could be a key to linking medical research facilities on both sides of the Schuylkill and with some better lighting and improvements a pleasing element of the expanding world of the Schuylkill Banks
Photography Back To The Future OK, we figured you might not believe that Philly is a great city for Art Deco architecture, so we sent Laura Kicey to shoot some of the most stunning examples around town
Urbanism Make No Small Plans On the elusive potential of the Ben Franklin Parkway and the necessity of thinking big (while recognizing the value of small interventions and organic change)
