Product Description

Forgotten Philadelphia provides a richly illustrated survey of landmark Philadelphia buildings that have succumbed to the ravages of time and changing tastes. More than three centuries of masterful architecture, from William Penn's Slate Roof House to Romaldo Giurgola's Liberty Bell Pavilion, demolished only last year, are brought back to life in this beautifully designed book. Writing with obvious affection as well as a deep knowledge of his subjects, Thomas Keels employs photographs, drawings, prints, maps, and architectural plans to revisit these vanished treasures.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #655989 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
"For the first time, Forgotten Philadelphia places the lost architecture of the City of Brotherly Love into the widest possible context. Keels draws on the rich political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of the city in ways that explain the forces that created the lost buildings and the forces that led to their demise. In the process, he illuminates the history of Philadelphia architecture at the same time that he uses its lost architecture as an important source for understanding the evolution of the city." -- David Contosta, Chestnut Hill College, author of Suburb in the City: Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 1850-1990

About the Author
Thomas H. Keels is a local writer and historian. He is the author of Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries and co-author of Chestnut Hill

Customer Reviews

Matthew G. Rosenberger, Publisher, ABC Philadelphia: Travel Guides for Kids
This is an amazing book and concept! It's a guided tour of Philadelphia history like no other. The maps in the book are especially effective in highlighting the changes in the Philadelphia landscape over the years. I used the same Philadelphia based cartographers, NaZa, for ABC Philadelphia to highlight the best and most current places for Philadelphia families today, now I'm wondering about the best family places in Philadelphia from yesteryear. This will be on the top of my holiday list this year.

For all Philaphiles
Tom Keels has produced a treasure of a book. There are many compilations of photographs of old Philadelphia, but Keels supplies what others mostly lack -- a brief but rich history and context for each of the lost buildings he documents. Many of the photographs will be familiar to anyone interested in Philadelphia history, but this should not discourage you from buying the book. You will learn a great deal, thanks to Keels' perspicacious research. Moreover, his prose is graceful and witty, never stodgy.

Great account of a fascinating city
My friends recently moved to Philadelphia, and having visited a few times, I was interested in the architectural history of this city. For a fan of architecture (but by no means an expert) this book presents a description (and wonderful pictures) of each building along with its history in 1-2 pages, which is just enough detail without getting bogged-down in specifics. The wonderful side-effect of reading this book is that it gave me a great social and political history of the city from colonial times to the present. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in architecture and/or Philadelphia's history.