Product Description

Winding its way southward through the Philadelphia communities of Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, as well as the verdant rural countryside of Gwynedd, Whitemarsh, and Wyndmoor, the Wissahickon Creek flows through a region of both unsurpassed natural beauty and some of the nation s most exquisite residential architecture.

The marvelous landscape that attracted early travelers and settlers became the setting for glorious estates that celebrated the connection between the natural and the built environment. From the mid-19th through the mid-20th century, three generations of prominent regional and national architects designed houses that have endured as magnificent examples of their own time, and remain eminently livable homes to this day.

In Houses of Philadelphia: Chestnut Hill and the Wissahickon Valley, 1880 1930, author James Garrison documents an outstanding group of houses, illustrating the scope of development in the Wissahickon Valley and the talented architects who worked there. From Henry Houston s much altered Drum Moir to Edward Stotesbury s extraordinary Whitemarsh Hall, the book examines 40 properties in detail with over 300 archival and contemporary photographs, drawings, and floor plans.

Fully researched, cogently written, and beautifully produced, Houses of Philadelphia provides a tangible and vibrant record of the eloquent and prodigious design heritage of the Wissahickon Valley.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #322028 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
Houses of Philadelphia...is giving design buffs an in-depth look at some of the most beautiful and distinguished properties. Author James Garrison examines a handful of Philadelphia-area homes, shares a history behind the area's development and profiles the talented architects who contributed to the design legacy. --Philadelphia Style, November 2008

About the Author
James B. Garrison is an architect at RMJM Hillier in Philadelphia and a dedicated architectural historian with over 20 years of experience in historic preservation. The author of Mastering Tradition: the Residential Architecture of John Russell Pope (Acanthus Press, 2004), Garrison writes and lectures extensively on the history and architecture of southeastern Pennsylvania where he lives on the Main Line.

Customer Reviews

Important structures finally documented
Jim Garrison has filled the void left by prior historians by documenting important structures in suburban Philadelphia. The book is enriched by the numerous images that help tell the story of the wealthy members of late Victorian-early twentieth century society. This book will compliment any library that documents the greater Philadelphia area.

PHILADELPHIA'S CHESTNUT HILL
This is a very well researched book on one of Philadelphia's most famous neighborhoods. The black and white images are beautiful and the text is highly informative. I suppose the only real disappointment is in the houses themselves; I'm not sure what I expected, but when I think of Philadelphia, I think of the gilded age mansions of the Main Line, or the opulent country houses like the iconic Whitemarsh. The houses of Chestnut Hill are nice, but hardly spectacular. Though having said that, it does not diminish the quality of this book or the importance of the subject covered. If you are interested in historic Philadelphia or just appreciate well researched, well put together books on architecture, then I cant imagine you not being pleased with this book.