Athenaeum building competition collection.

Format:

Archive

Author/Creator:

Athenaeum of Philadelphia.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

historic buildings--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

6th & Walnut Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

6th & Adelphi Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

6th & St. James Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

Athenaeum of Philadelphia (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

Local Subjects:

6th & Walnut Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

6th & Adelphi Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

6th & St. James Sts. (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

Athenaeum of Philadelphia (Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pa.).

Physical Description:

38 items

Contained In:

Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Archives. Architectural series.

Arrangement:

Cataloged by architect name entry, by specific architectural project. RLIN visual material file.

Place of Publication:

1834-1846.

Summary:

This parent record holds the following RLIN VIM subrecords: [1] PAPV93-F1097. Stewart, Thomas S. [Joint library building and conservatory ... [2] PAPV93-F1098. Strickland, William. Athenaeum [of Philadelphia] ... [3] PAPV95-F41. Walter, Thomas Ustick. Design for a building at the corner of Sixth & Walnut St. ... [5] PAPV95-F42. Notman, John. Athenaeum [of Philadelphia, 6th St., bel. Walnut ... [6] PAPV95-F43. Notman, John. Design for junction of Athenaeum [of Philadelphia] & Library [Company] [7] PAPV93-F1099. Haviland, John. [Athenaeum of Philadelphia ...] [8] PAPV93-F1096 O'Neill & Forsyth, Builders. [i.e. Napolean Le Brun] [9] PAPV95-F44. Notman, John. Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Other drawings for this competition, existing in other collections located at the Athenaeum, are cataloged separately with those collections.

Notes:

While called the competition collection, this group of drawings represents several proposed projects in the evolution toward Notmam's historic Italianate building for the Athenaeum at 6th & St. James St., Philadelphia. Beginning around 1834-1836, Thomas Somerville Stewart's plan is identified by Roger Moss, architectural historian & Executive Director of the Athenaeum, in his unpublished manuscript Philadelphia Victorian, as the earliest concept for an Athenaeum library. This drawing is believed to document the Scientific & Literary Associations Library Building at 6th & Walnut Sts., which was a joint building project of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Foreign Library, Law Library, Library Company, Mercantile Library, the Athenaeum, and probably the American Philosophical Society.

According to Constance Grieff (1979) John Notman, architect, in 1839 the Directors of the Athenaeum called for proposal drawings from Philadelphia architects for a building solely for the Athenaeum, to be located at this same site. Drawings included in this collection for Strickland, Walter and Notman (Grieff project no. 9) document their participation in this competition, ca. 1839-1840. Also of interest is the Notman project (Grieff project no. 10) for the "junction" of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia & the Library Company, proposed for a site at 5th & Library Sts, Philadelphia, and dated 1840. It is believed that no building was constructed at this time due to depressed economic conditions.

In 1845 the Athenaeum purchased a lot at the corner of Sixth & Adelphi (now St. James) Sts. and a call for drawings again went out. According to Grieff, p.99, drawings were submitted by Richard A. Gilpin, John Haviland, Napoleon Le Brun and John Notman. No drawings by Gilpin are known to have survived. Haviland's participation is documented by the drawings included here. Also included in the Athenaeum's competition collection are drawings labelled, perhaps in a later hand, as from O'Neill & Forsyth, Builders. Moss, Philadelphia Victorian, p. has made the attribution of these drawings to Le Brun. Notman's drawings, most of which are included in this collection, show various alternative designs & revisions, and are documented in Grieff (her project no. 16).

Forms part of: Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Archives. Architecture series.