MASTER
 
 

WALKING TOUR - "Emergence of a Modern Metropolis: Philadelphia"

By Center / Architecture + Design (other events)

319 Dates Through Dec 12, 2015
 
ABOUT ABOUT

Tours depart from the Center at 2pm sharp and last for two hours.

Experience the transformation of Philadelphia from an engine of industry to a 21st century capital 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
          • Steel-frame construction disguised behind stone 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 the Comcast Center, Pennsylvania's tallest sky scraper.

IF YOU PURCHASED AN ONLINE DEAL (Groupon, LivingSocial, Amazon, etc.), PLEASE CALL THE RECEPTIONIST AT THE CENTER TO REDEEM YOUR OFFER AND SCHEDULE YOUR TOUR: (215) 569.3186.

Restrictions

No refunds or exchanges on walking tour tickets.

Center / Architecture + Design

Mailing Address

1218 Arch St Philadelphia, PA 19107