SPEAKER SERIES | BuildingPhiladelphia: Architecture, History, + Politics

$150 - Includes all 10 talks! (early Bird discount valid through Monday, Feb 06)
10 Monday + Wednesday evenings, 6-8pm, March 06 - April 05, 2017

For more detailed info about each lecture, click on "MORE INFO" under each ticket type.

$175 - Includes all 10 talks!
10 Monday + Wednesday evenings, 6-8pm, March 06 - April 05, 2017

For more detailed info about each lecture, click on "MORE INFO" under each ticket type.

MARCH 06 - Penn’s Plan and the Founding of the City

John Gallery, Former Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, investigates William Penn's plans for the grand city in his colony of Pennsylvania. Did you know that Pennsylvania was given to William Penn by the King of England to pay off a debt to his father? It remains the largest grant of land to an individual in history. Learn how Penn took his inheritance and created plans for a major city that would take over 200 years to match his vision. And learn how Philadelphia's current-day form reflects his philosophical ideals and business plans.

March 08 - From Colonial Capitol to the Athens of America: Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival

Richard Webster, PhD, and Professor Emeritus at West Chester University presents a survey of the classic architectural styles of early Philadelphia, including Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival. Explore how these styles, typically all called "Colonial" by the layperson, differ from each other and how their influence can be found in classical Greece and Rome.

MARCH 13 - Romantic Philadelphia: Eclecticism of Style

Richard Webster, PhD, and Professor Emeritus at West Chester University explores the architectural styles of Philadelphia that were popular after the "colonial" era, but before the Victorian era. In this talk Webster presents the eclectic mix of styles, often intermixed in one building, that make up this fascinating period of Philadelphia's architectural history. A must-see lecture for those interested in Philadelphia's unique, older buildings.

MARCH 15 - The Hidden City: Archaeology of Philadelphia

Rebecca Yamin, PhD, takes us on a trip down Alice's rabbit hole - digging underneath parking lots, National Park sites, and demolished buildings, she uncovers Philadelphia hidden past through fragments and trash left by our predecessors. Recent sites covered during her talk include the President's house in Independence Mall, Revolutionary camp sites in Valley Forge, and workers' houses where the Pennsylvania Convention Center now stands.

MARCH 20 - Immigration to the City

Join Caroline Golab, PhD at Thomas Jefferson University, for this insightful talk about Philadelphia's various populations and how, why, and when they made their way to Philadelphia - and what they did once they arrived here. From early Swedish and German settlers to Italian and Irish immigrants, to modern-day influxes from Mexico and South-East Asia, this lecture explores who Philadelphia is and how the various waves of immigration have and continue to shape its citizenry.

MARCH 22 - The Victorian City

Jeffrey Cohen, PhD, senior lecturer in Architectureal History at Bryn Mawr College, surveys the growth of Philadelphia and its architecture during the Victorian era. Illustrated with many of Philadelphia’s most impressive buildings, both extant and lost, this talk explores the expansion of the city, the development of its infrastructure, the increasing professionalization of its architects, and the various period styles now recognized as Victorian.

MARCH 27 - Going on Stilts: The Tall Building in 19th Century Philadelphia

Paula Spilner, PhD at Drexel University, presents this fun look at Philadelphia's earliest skyscrapers. Learn how historians define what a skyscraper is, what forces caused high-rise buildings to emerge in 19th century Philadelphia, and how their effect on Philadelphia's skyline helped to set the stage for Philadelphia to have one the most impressive skylines in the world.

March 29 - Making Philadelphia Modern: The Benjamin Franklin Parkway + Art Deco

David Brownlee, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, takes us through the political, aesthetic, and social movements that dramatically reshaped Philadelphia in the early 20th Century. He tracks the long-fought battle to build the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, re-organizing the old industrial city around a new axis of culture and commerce, and he tells Philadelphia's chapter of the story of "Art Deco," the colorful, invented modern style that arose as an alternative to functionalism in the 1920s and 30s.

April 03 - Philadelphia’s Modern Architectures: The Heroes and the Misfits

William Whitaker, Curator at the University of Pennsylvania's Architectural Archives, presents the remaining examples of modernist architecture scattered around the Greater Philadelphia area. These buildings are only now beginning to be appreciated for their architectural achievements just as many of them have been or are being demolished. Come explore the buildings we grew up with before they are gone forever.

APRIL 05 - Ed Bacon and the Future of Philadelphia

Scott Gabriel Knowles, PhD, Drexel University
Since the mid-20th century, Philadelphia has faced the same challenges as most post-industrial cities in the world, namely loss of manufacturing jobs, residents, and taxes. Knowles will explore how Philadelphia has faced these challenges, in what ways it has succeeded, where we still need to make progress, and what the future holds for our fair city. Current and future public and private development projects will round out our lecture series

Select this option to add the three (3) FREE tour guide training sessions to your ticketing package. Attendance at ALL THREE training sessions is mandatory for prospective guides and are schedule for:

Monday, April 17 | 6:00 - 8:00pm | Things To Come
Wednesday, April 19 | 6:00 - 8:00pm | Guiding Techniques
Saturday, April 29 | 10:00am - 12:00pm | Tour Shadowing
*Shadow at least two additional tours to qualify for your test-tour