Philadelphia Museum of Art
Below is background on the Classical Revival style of the Philadelphia Museum of Art:
The City Council of Philadelphia funded a competition in 1895 to design a new museum building,but it was not until 1907 that plans were first made to construct it on Fairmount, a rocky hill topped by the city's main reservoir. The Fairmount Parkway (renamed Benjamin Franklin Parkway), a grand boulevard that cut diagonally across the grid of city streets, was designed to terminate at the foot of the hill. But there were conflicting views about whether to erect a single museum building, or a number of buildings to house individual collections. The architectural firms of Horace Trumbauer and Zantzinger, Borie and Medary collaborated for more than a decade to resolve these issues. The final design is mostly credited to two architects in Trumbauer's firm: Howell Lewis Shay for the building's plan and massing, and Julian Abele for the detail work and perspective drawings...I'm a New Yorker, through and through. You cannot convince me of the superiority of any other city, even of Paris.
[T]he new building was not completed until 1928.[11] The facade and columns are made of Minnesota dolomite.
The wings were built first, which helped assure funding for the completion of the design.
The building's eight pediments were intended to be adorned with sculpture groups. The only pediment that has been completed, "Western Civilization" (1933) by C. Paul Jennewein, features his polychrome sculptures of painted terra-cotta figures, depicting Greek deities and mythological figures. It was completed in 1933...The building is also adorned by a collection of bronze griffins, which were adopted as the symbol of the museum in the 1970s.
But, each city has its own wonders, charms and hidden gems. The Bourse is one such place in Philadelphia. And another, just a few block away, is Washington Square. And New York may boast of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the gorgeous setting of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, on a hill, surpasses even what the Met folks can say. And it's collections are no less inferior. And does Central Park have any fantastic fountain garden to rival the Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia?
I've posted photographs of these sites which I took while in Philadelphia this past July.
The Italian Water Garden
Longwood Gardens
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (about one hour west of Philadelphia)
From the Longwood Gardens website:
Pierre S. du Pont's love of water and fountains is embodied in this Garden. Simple color tones—green grass, blue-tiled fountains, and sparkling water—create a serene atmosphere.From the Longwood Garden vistor's guide booklet:
Mr. du Pont planned every aspect of this Garden, from the sculptures inspired by his travels in Italy to the hydraulic calculations. He even calculated that the northernmost pools needed to be built 14 feet longer than the southernmost pool to appear symmetrical from the viewing deck.
Experience a piece of Europe with this water delight that runs from 9:00 am–5:45 pm daily mid-April through mid-October, and until dusk on Friday and Saturday evenings during the Festival of Fountains.
The basic layout of this much-loved water Garden, which debuted in 1927, is similar to one seen by the du Ponts at the Villa Gamberaia near Florence, Italy.
Experience the world of Longwood Gardens...a place to see dazzling displays that elevate the art of horticulture...a place to enjoy performances that inspire..a place to watch majestic fountains spring to life...a place to relax and reconnect with nature. Discover our storied heritage and the indelible mark of our founder, Pierre S. du Pont, which guides us today. Explore one of the great gardens of the world, from our 4-acre Conservatory to the splendor of our outdoor gardens spanning 1,077 acres. Step out of your world and into ours...where the living things that surround you make you feel more alive.The fountains are by no means the only features. The small guide booklet lists 22, from an "Idea Gardne" to various floral gardens, including wisteria and roses. Here is a link to the outdoor garden map. The letters and number thumbnails pop-up images of the various gardens, and clicking on them will take you to the website. Number 21 is the Italian Water Garden.
The Bourse Building
The Bourse's website describes it thus:
The concept of the Bourse – meaning a place of exchange – was brought to Philadelphia in 1890 by George E. Bartol, a prosperous Philadelphia grain and commodities exporter. While in Europe, Bartol visited the great Bourse in Hamburg, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, Bartol called together the most influential businessmen and merchants in the city, asking them to pool their resources to construct the city’s own business center – a Philadelphia Bourse.I went to the Bourse with my friend in Philadelphia, and we had a simple deli meal in the food court of soup and sandwich.
In 1891, The Philadelphia Bourse Corporation was formed, with each member subscribing $1,000 to the project, by an issue of stock and mortgage. The Bourse motto was “buy, sell, ship via Philadelphia”.
The Philadelphia Bourse Building, the first commodities exchange in the United States, was completed in 1895. The building was one of the first steel-framed buildings to be constructed. Three types of masonry were used on the facade: Carlisle redstone, Pompeian buff brick and terra cotta. Inside were large columns and pilasters leading to a balcony surrounding the main floor. Bow-top girders were used to support a skylight at the third floor.
The original tenants included the American Telephone and Telegraphy, Moore and McCormick Steamships lines, grain dealers and export agents. The Bourse was also home to the Commercial Exchange, the Maritime Exchange, Grocers and Importers Exchange and the Board of Trade.
Quotations from all markets of the world and the latest financial news were received by telegraph. Pneumatic tubes connected the Bourse directly with the United States Post Office. A trading clock signaled the end of every business day.
Kaiserman Company, Inc. purchased The Philadelphia Bourse Building in 1979, renaming it “The Bourse” and adapting it as a retail and office complex. The restoration took three years to complete at a cost of $20 million, twenty times greater than the original construction cost.
Celebrating over 100 years as a center for commerce and trade, The Bourse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is one of Philadelphia’s leading commercial complexes, home to 24 retail and food service stores and more than 50 businesses.
The current Philadelphia stock exchange is at 19th and Market, not that far from the Bourse.
The Philadelphia Washington Square, which has the same name as the more famous (or infamous) New York Washington Square, is a peaceful park, unlike the hustling and bustling New York version.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies within Washington Square,
with a statue of George Washington, and an Eternal Flame
Messages engraved on the wall of the memorial include:I took a photograph of the statue of Washington, at the far end of the square, which stands above the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier.
- "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness"
- "The independence and liberty you possess are the work of
joint councils and joint efforts of common dangers, suffering
and success [Washington Farewell Address, Sept. 17, 1796]"
- "In unmarked graves within this square lie thousands of
unknown soldiers of Washington's Army who died of wounds and
sickness during the Revolutionary War."
Below is background on the Tomb of the Unkonw Revolutionary Soldier:
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies within Washington Square, one of the five public parks drawn up by William Penn in his 1682 blueprint for Philadelphia...Shortly after the square was laid out, however, it was being used for a wholly other purpose — as a potter's field. Burials in Washington Square, then known as Southeast Square, started in 1706 and continued for nearly nine decades...
Over the years, the square has been used for as a fishing hole, cow pasture, hayfield, duck hunting spot and, appropriately enough, revival meeting grounds. 19th-century historian John Watson reports that slaves would be allowed to congregate in the square during holidays, sometimes numbering a thousand, holding dances and honoring the "sleeping dust below."
By 1776, that "sleeping dust" would be jolted by the first Revolutionary War casualties...
By 1778, Washington Square would be the last barracks for the thousands of soldiers who died in Philadelphia. Though not much fighting occurred in Philadelphia during the War, plenty of dying did. Those wounded in nearby battles, or those sick with disease would be brought to Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Hospital and the Bettering House for the Poor filled quickly. Churches became ad-hoc hospitals...
The Colonials reoccupied Philadelphia in 1778 and became the jailkeepers at Walnut Street. No doubt a Millgram (where prisoners became the guards) atmosphere prevailed when the prisoners got to run the jail. Suffice it to say, many bodies of British soldiers also are interred in Washington Square, sleeping far from Albion's shores.
In 1793, the square once again served as a mass graveyard — this time for wracked, malodorous victims of the 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic. Philadelphia was literally decimated by this epidemic: about 5,000 of Philadelphia's 50,000 residents were taken by the Aedes mosquito. Washington Square was once again pockmarked by stench-filled trenches.
After the square stopped functioning as a cemetery, a beautifying campaign was undertaken. In 1825, the Square was renamed in honor of George Washington, commander of many of the troops buried within it.
In 1954, the Washington Square Planning Committee decided to erect a memorial that honored both George Washington and an unknown soldier from the Revolutionary War. There was a catch, however — culling a Colonial soldier from this unmarked golgotha. In 1956 an archaeological team was brought in. They dug nine holes mostly in the northwest quadrant of the square. The first bodies the archaeologists discovered belonged to three paupers, identifiable as such by canvas sheets serving as their graveclothes. Some exploratory holes found single graves, not the mass trenches which were being looked for. Finally, a mass grave was found. Within they found the undisturbed remains of a male about twenty years old within the vestiges of an oak coffin. The skull had evidence of a "plow wound" which could have been caused by a musket ball. This would be the body used for the unknown soldier.
Though the archaeologists and historians were fairly certain that this disinterred body was that of a Revolutionary War soldier, one vexing question still remains: Was the body that of a British soldier or a lad who had just started calling himself by a new name — American?...
The tomb of the Unknown Soldier itself bears the words: "Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty."
An eternal flame flickers in front of a wall bearing a replica of Jean Antoine Houdon's famous bronze sculpture of George Washington. Washington's eyes gaze eternally upon nearby Independence Hall.
The Longwood Gardens, Small Lake
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Photos By: KPA]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------