YAH UNIV1 HSIIV llllll 3 9002 06080 1678 PHILADELPHIA HISTORIC, CENTRAL METROPOLITAN and INDUSTRIAL tra ro l%j5TVEr^ YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA HISTORICCENTRAL METROPOLITAN INDUSTRIAL PUBLISHED, 1922, BY THE PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY INDEPENDENCE SQUARE PHILADELPHIA COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY PUBLIC LEDGER COMPANY INDEPENDENCE SQUARE PHILADELPHIA U. S. A. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER I AN INVITATION Bring Tour Children to Philadelphia DEBT that every A parent owes his fsf children is a trip •fix to Philadelphia. >§$ In every school history of the United States, Philadelphia of necessity takes foremost place, and of all Ameri can cities which took prominent and active parts in giving their children the heritage of inde- pendence, Philadelphia preserves intact more of the actual scenes where our forefathers worked to found a great liberty-loving people than any other. Philadelphia is unique among American cities for the richness with which it has treasured these landmarks, just as they stood two and even three centuries ago. In the presence of these land marks one feels the impulses that guided our ancestors, seems to see reacted the successive events which shaped our destiny, and gains a finer conception of the purpose for which this nation was established. Your children should stand in the inspiring and patriotic pres ence of such surroundings. You and the business men of the United States, whether you visit the two great cities of the Atlantic seaboard seldom or often, whether you come from the East, West, North, or South, should bring the members of your family along, so that while you are attending to the business that brings you, they can have the happiness of later telling their friends that they have made a HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA pilgrimage to Valley Forge and stood upon Observation Tower and viewed the scene upon which Washington and his men suffered that liberty might live. Valley Forge is a suburb of Philadelphia. It is less than an hour from the city by automobile, and convenient train service is always to be had. Philadelphia is only two hours distant by train from New York. If your business or other interests call you to New York, you will find it a pleasurable diversion for yourself and family to set aside a day or two in which to become intimately acquainted with his toric, central, metropolitan, and industrial Philadelphia. In this book are pictured a few of the many buildings a visit to which should be the ambition of every American citizen; a part of the education of every American child. A Passion for Liberty The impulse which led to the foundation of Philadelphia has dominated the history of the western hemisphere. It was the passion for liberty. William Penn, the son of an English Admiral, had become a convert to the doctrines of the Society of Friends. The bitter persecution of him self and his fellow Quakers in spired Penn with the idea of cre ating a colony where there would be liberty of conscience and free dom from oppression. In payment of a debt owed to his father by the British Crown, he accepted a large territory in the American wilderness, to which King Charles II. gave the name Pennsylvania. The Treaty jSjzver Bro\en Penn, ^as fit a man as any in Europe to plant a country," sent representatives ahead with instruc tions to lay out a "green country towne which will never be burnt and always wholesome." In November, 1682, he arrived on the ship Welcome, with one hundred companions. One of his first and most characteristic acts was to make a league of friendship with the Indians, which, in the words of Voltaire, was "the only treaty between these people and the IS*.- I I CegS :! ti ; r — WILLIAM PENN'S HOUSE, built in 1682 and occupied by him when he first came to America to found his "holy experiment" in liberty and justice. Now standing in Fairmount Park, near (Jirard Avenue. Contains interesting relies. Open to the public free. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA Christians which was never sworn to and never broken." By paying the Indians for the land which already had been granted him by the King, he won a confidence which resulted in peace between them and the infant colony for eighty years. The spot where this treaty was made, at Shackamaxon, or Kensington, on the Delaware River, is now a small park, where a monument marks the site of the great elm tree under which Penn stood. Penns House For several years Penn and his family lived in the first brick house built in Philadelphia, then on Letitia Court near the water front. When he returned to England, this house became the first State House of the province. It has been moved to Fair- mount Park, where it is preserved in its original condition. It con tains various relics of the founder, and is open to the public. A Government of the People As the proprietor of the prov ince, Penn had the authority to rule as an autocrat. This power, however, he transferred to the people. It was his ambition to "frame a government which might be an example," to make men " as free and happy as they could be." The constitution which he drew was indeed a remarkable document, far in advance of the times, and laid the foundations of " government of the people, by the people, and for the people" It created an assembly and a council, made up of representa tives elected by popular vote. It promised liberty of worship. It permitted colonists from other countries than England to become naturalized citizens. It instituted trial by jury, and abolished capital punishment except for murder and treason. Public schools were pro vided, in which all children of the age of twelve were required to " be taught some useful trade or skill." Having set forth his own ideas of government, Penn further proved his wisdom and liberality by saying to his people, a few years later: "Friends, if in the constitution by charter there be anything that jars, alter it. If you *•.$£- m, -<*?&& & ¦ 1 ,-rti r. '*-:.-• ¦ • -; 'j'tJ '¦ v- ". » <.' 1 . ¦ - ' / . *->-=-. ~Sl FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE, where William Penn worshiped, and used continuously by the Quakers since it was built in 169s. One of the oldest places of worship in America. On Old Lancaster Road, or Montgomery Avenue, in Merion. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA want a law for this or that, pre- pare it." Accordingly, in 1701 a revised constitution was adopted. Until the Revolution this con stitution remained in force, and it had great influence upon the constitutions not only of other States, but of the Federal Govern ment itself. On old Lancaster Road, or Montgomery Avenue, in Merion, still stands the ancient meeting house in which William Penn worshiped. Built in 1695, this is probably the oldest place of wor ship in America which has been used continuously up to the pres ent time. Other venerable Quaker meeting-houses are also to be seen in and about the city; notably one at Radnor. The Swedes While Penn was the actual founder of the city, he had been preceded by other settlers with the same ideals of freedom. Gustavus Adolphus, that "val iant king" of Sweden, planned to send colonists to America to found " a free state where the laborer should reap the fruits of his toil, where the rights of conscience should be inviolate, . . . where all should be secure in their per sons, their property and their rights of conscience." These col onists were sent out, after the death of the King, in 1637, and when Penn arrived he found them clustered at various points along the Delaware River — "simple and ingenuous peasants and farmers who left a decided and durable impress. A memorial of these people remains in their church, Gloria Dei, which stands on Swanson Street near Front Street. On this site a block-house for protection against the Indians was built in 1669. The present church was completed in 1700. It is the oldest church within the city limits, and one of the oldest in America. When first erected, it was "the finest edifice in the towne." The First American Advertiser Among the American institu- tutions of which Penn was the pioneer was that of advertising. He promoted his province aggres sively, and sent back to Europe a steady flow of attractive pub- • " / V». ),'!¦'. 1 GLORIA DEI, or Old Swedes Church, built in 1700 by the Swedish Colonists who had preceded Penn. It was, when built, " the finest edifice in the towne." On Swanson Street, near Front and Christian. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA licity which awakened a lively interest and brought ship-loads of the persecuted of many faiths and many nationalities. " I dare not deny others what I crave for myself — liberty for the exercise of my religion,"" he said. The immigrants included many Germans, led by Pastorius, who settled in Germantown and built there, in 1708, the first Mennonite meeting house; the Tunkers, or Dunkards, exiles from Holland; and the aristocratic Welsh, who are still remembered for the quaint, mouth-filling names which they gave to many of the localities about the city. The Birth of American Learning America is indebted to Phila delphia not only for its ideals of freedom, but also for many of its ideals of culture. Very early the city began to establish the insti tutions which have profoundly affected the development of edu cation and science throughout the nation. Universal education having been made compulsory by the charter, a school was opened in 1683. In 1689 was established the first grammar school. This, the first chartered public school in America, still exists as the Penn Charter School, in Twelfth Street, near Chestnut. The Junto, founded by Benja min Franklin in 172,7, became later the American Philosophical Society, which undoubtedly con tributed more than any other organization to the spread of knowledge and the advancement of science in the United States. Among the fourteen charter members of this society was John Bartram. Bartram s Gardens Perhaps the first American achievement to draw the atten tion of European scientists was the creation by Bartram, in 1728, of the first botanic garden in the new world. "The greatest natural botanist in the world," Bartram made the first study of the plant life of the new continent. His garden, and the stone house which he built with his own hands in 173 1, are still preserved. They are on the Schuylkill BSfiBSSBSfepSfsl&P* HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA River in West Philadelphia, near Fifty-fourth Street and Woodland Avenue, and may be reached by railroad or trolley. Among the interesting features of this unique garden are a cypress tree, with a girth of more than 27 feet, which Bartram brought as a sapling from Caro lina ; the Franklin Tree, a variety now extinct; and a "Christ's Thorn," sent from Jerusalem by Collinson, one of the great English botanists who constantly ex changed specimens and wisdom with this earliest of American scientists. Kittenhouse Another international figure, in a different field, was David Ritten- house. Bartram scanned the earth, Rittenhouse the sky. As an astronomer, mathematician and philosopher he became a rival and colleague of the most dis tinguished scientists in the old world. It has been said that " The first approximately accurate results in the measurements of the spheres were given to the world, not by the schooled and salaried astrono mers who watched from the mag nificent royal observatories of Europe, but by unpaid amateurs and devotees to science in the youthful province of Pennsylvania." The birthplace of Rittenhouse stands on Wissahickon Creek in Fairmount Park, near the site of the first paper mill in America, erected by his great-grandfather. Benjamin Franklin The most dominant personality during the days preceding the Revolution was that of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin created the first circu lating library in America, which imported from London in 1732 a large collection of books, many of which are still on the shelves of the Philadelphia Library at Locust and Juniper Streets, and of the handsome Ridgw ay Branch on South Broad Street, where also the original corner-stone is pre served. In the library there is a file of the "Pennsylvania Gazette," established by Franklin, one of the first American periodicals, and since become the greatest under its new title, "The Saturday Evening Post." 0 - — g ^ ~ m 3o X) = rt '-' — ^_ to 4_» a - > rt ej J3 M u u 4J 4-> L^J m D CO C X 2 w H t- pd n- C w u < h-l Hi X H pd HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA The first hospital in America devoted to the relief of the sick was the Pennsylvania Hospital, established in 1750, with Frank lin as a leading spirit. Franklin in 1749 raised the funds which established one of the first great educational institu- tions in America, now the University of Pennsylvania. Pioneer Civic Institutions Franklin invented the lightning- rod and the movable Franklin stove, or " Pennsylvania fireplace." He laid the foundations of the science of meteorology, he organ ized fire protection, street paving, lighting and cleaning, and many other civic institutions which American citizens of today owe to the energy and foresight of the early Philadelphians who recognized his leadership. Franklin Relics Many interesting relics of Franklin are on display at the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Thirteenth and Locust Streets, and at the University of Penn sylvania. Franklin's grave is marked by a simple tablet in the burial ground of Christ Church, at Fifth and Arch Streets. Christ Church Christ Church itself, which he attended, is one of the most inter esting of the historic structures of the city. It is on Second Street north of Market. Among the congregation of this church were many of the most able Americans of the Revolu tionary days. Here not only Franklin, but Washington, Lafa yette, Adams, Hopkinson, Morris and other patriots worshiped. For many years the Anglican party struggled against the power of the Quakers, even going so far as to petition the British King to dissolve the proprietary government and to rule the colony as an English province. But as the oppression of England became more and more severe, the congregation of Christ Church became the most ardent advocates of revolution, and they supplied most of the funds and much of the sagacity and heroism which made America finally free. The present church building CHRIST CHURCH, where Washington, Franklin, and Lafayette worshiped. Completed in 1744, this church had important influence upon the birth of the American republic. On Second Street, north of Market. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA was completed in 1744. In the steeple still hangs the chime of eight bells, which rang in 1776 in celebration of the Declaration of Independence. Steeple and bells were paid for by a lottery of which Franklin was manager. The First Congress In the Revolution, Philadelphia was " the fulcrum which turned a long lever." " The capital of the infant nation, the great depot of supplies for the Continental Army, the asylum of exiles fleeing from British oppres sion, the theatre of most impor tant movements and events, she played a grand and imposing role in the great drama."''' When the struggle against taxa tion without representation cul minated in 1774 in the closing of the port of Boston, Paul Revere came to Philadelphia to seek ad vice and support. The response was a call for a Continental Con gress. This Congress met in Septem ber, 1774, in Carpenters1 Hall, with delegates present from eleven of the thirteen provinces, among them Washington, Patrick Henry, Hancock, Lee, Randolph, the Adamses — a gathering of the strongest men in America. For six weeks the Congress de liberated in secret, and finally brought forth propositions in statesmanship which startled the world by their dignity, their force and their determination to unite in resistance to injustice. Carpenters'1 Hall Carpenters1 Hall, which is off Chestnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets, appears today just as it did in that momentous time. Among the relics are the original arm-chairs in which the members of the first Congress sat, and many historic documents. It is open to the public free. During the Revolution the base ment of the hall was a magazine for ammunition, and while the British occupied the city, the upper floors were used as a hospital. The first ban\ of the United States occupied the hall from 1791 to 1797, and thereafter it served for many years as a custom house. It was also used for a period by the Supreme Court. Thus this fine old structure ful- /, CARPENTERS' HALL, meeting place of the first Continental Congress in 1774, which " conceived that liberty which had its birth in Independence Hall." Off Chestnut Street, between Third and Fourth Streets. Contains many relics. Open to the public free. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA filled many and varied useful pur poses throughout the youth of the nation. Independence Hall "No building in the United States," writes Agnes Repplier, "has an historic interest compar able to that of the Philadelphia State House, the birthplace of our national life. Its venerable walls heard the vehement denunciations hurled against the Stamp Act, and the still more vehement resolu tions which sent Captain Ayres and his shipload of tea back to the port of London. Here, after the battle of Lexington, assembled that eager, angry crowd who expressed the sentiments of the whole peo ple in a single curt resolution, 'to defend with arms their property, liberty and lives.' Here Washing ton was appointed commander- in-chief of the Army, and here Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, moved, on the seventh of June, 1776, that 'these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States ; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.1 From the Httle observatory the Declaration of Independence was read aloud." The Liberty Bell The greatest treasure of Phila delphia is the immortal bell which hangs in the main corridor of the Hall, where the visitor may ex amine it closely and read the pro phetic words inscribed upon it when it was first cast, twenty- four years before the Declaration — "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof— Lev. XXV: V, X" For 80 years this bell rang out the successive epochs in American history. It was muffled and tolled when the Stamp Act went into effect. It summoned the citizens to refuse landing to the shiploads of tea. It celebrated the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and in 1783 the proclamation of peace. It finally cracked in 1835 while being tolled for the death of Chief Jus tice Marshall. Sacred Relics Not only the bell, but many other sacred relics are exhibited \ 4L _- * T -\\ V hhI ft A 1 / U»»t-, ,a; - » tt-.'LJT^ INDEPENDENCE HALL, "the birthplace of our national life," where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Contains the Liberty Bel historic paintings and furniture, and many other relics of great importance. Chestnut Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Open to the public free. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA in Independence Hall — collections which will reward the patriotic American, no matter how far he journeys to see them. Here are the mahogany table on which the Declaration of Independence was signed, the great silver inkstand into which the signers dipped their determined pens, the quill box and the sand shaker. Here are the chairs in which Washington and the other delegates sat, and the fac-simile of the original Declara tion. On the walls are many his toric portraits, and in the cases old uniforms, weapons, cannon balls, documents and other mem orabilia. The house where the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson is no longer standing, but the spot, on Market Street at the corner of Seventh, is marked by a bronze tablet. The First American Flag It was but natural that Phila delphia, the birthplace of freedom, should also be the birthplace of the flag which symbolizes that freedom. The first Stars and Stripes was made in 1777, by Betsy Ross. Tradition says that the design was suggested by Washington, for whom Betsy Ross had made ruffled shirt bosoms. She made the flag in her home at 239 Arch Street, and it floated for the first time over Congress in session at Inde pendence Hall. The quaint little house is open to the public and contains various relics. The Revolution Throughout the struggle for in dependence, Philadelphia bore " the burden and heat of the day. It was to Philadelphia, her wealth, her patriotism, her resources, that all eyes turned during the darkest hours of the Revolution^ There are many places which recall the scenes and personalities of those days. In Fairmount Park are several notable old houses — on Lemon Hill, the home of Robert Morris, who as Superintendent of Finance during the Revolution, as well as by his personal financial support, saved the infant nation; on Mount Pleasant, the home of the traitor, Benedict Arnold; Belmont IS/Iansion, the home of Richard Peters, the Secretary of War; the Livezey House, where BETSY ROSS HOUSE, where the first American flag was made in 1777 by Elizabeth Ross, by order of Congress. 239 Arch Street, below Third Street. Open to the public free. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA British and American officers frat ernized while the city was in the hands of the British. Germantown In Germantown are many his toric buildings. This ancient section of Philadelphia has a his tory of its own. It was founded in 1683 by Mennonites and others whom Penn invited to come to the new colony to escape the persecution of the German Government. The Qua\ers of Germantown, in 1688, were the first to protest against slavery in America. The most important operations of the Revolution took place about this community. In the critical campaign the Battle of Germantown, although a techni cal defeat, revived the flagging spirits of the army and the nation, because it showed that the little American army was capable of taking the offensive against the trained British troops. The Chew IsAansion This battle centered round Cliveden, the mansion of Benja min Chew. A small British force took refuge in this house and barred the attack of the Ameri cans. On the walls and doors of the sturdy old mansion may still be seen the scars made by the American shot. This house is at Main and Johnson Streets, reached by trolley. Valley Forge Surrounding Philadelphia are other localities of great historic significance, including the Brandy- wine country and the battle-fields of Paoli and Red Ban\ At Valley Forge may be seen the old forts and intrenchments in which Washington's army spent the terrible winter of 1777- 78, and the house which Wash ington used as headquarters, in which is an interesting collection of relics. Valley Forge is now a national park of 500 acres. It is reached by the Reading Rail way, by motor, or by 'bus from the city. The "Hew Republic After peace was declared, Phila delphia continued the chief city of the new republic. Delegates from the thirteen States met in Inde pendence Hall in 1787, and after four months of deliberation ii/ ¦ *'. • - 1 • > ¦*.!'• Ill ..;'•¦ ^ 4* I .' " — — : — vN - f ' i- 1 ^ CHEW HOUSE (Cliveden), round which raged the battle of Germantown, and which Washington's army bombarded. The walls and doors still show the marks of the American shot. At Main and Johnson Streets, Germantown. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA framed the Federal Constitution. Washington was here elected the first President in 1789. Congress selected Philadelphia as the national capital, and in 1790 the Government was set up here. Congress Hall The first Senate and House of Representatives met in Congress Hall, which adjoins Independence Hall on Chestnut Street. In this hall was delivered Washington's Farewell Address in 1796. Other notable buildings in the same group are that at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, occupied by the Supreme Court from 1 791 to 1800, and which contains the Rational Museum of the Sons of the Revo lution, and that of the American Philosophical Society on Fifth Street, in which are numerous relics. The Civil War Although in 1800 Philadelphia ceased to be the capital, it has never lost its importance as a national center. It was a Philadelphian, Stephen Girard, who in the war of 181 2 followed the example set in the Revolution by Morris, and sup plied the money that financed the country, and in the Civil War Jay Cooke, another Philadelphian, was the financial genius who sold Lincoln's war bonds when Gov ernment credit was at low ebb. The first American locomotive, "Old Ironsides," was built in Philadelphia in 1832, and Phila delphia naturally became the center of the network of railways which brought about victory for the Union cause. Philadelphia shipyards launched most of the men-of-war which held off foreign intervention, while her arsenals supplied a large share of the munitions. An interesting memorial of the Civil War is the log hut used as winter headquarters by General Grant in 1864-65, now standing in Fairmount Park. The Centennial Exhibition The rapid development of Philadelphia after the Civil War as a center of industry resulted in the decision to celebrate the centennial of American Indepen dence with the first World's Fair 1 - .¦¦'•¦ - -. ' T" - ¦' ""¦":¦'¦; :.,-V4:;,?; 8 l;"'--v --- ~-*j "" . ¦yu-m*' i&m .il- mMM ii. rx&i |'f" r &JH ^ i X v v^fl 41- mfaammkm CONGRESS HALL, where the first Congress of the United States sat, while Philadelphia was the national capital, and where Washington delivered his famous Farewell Address. Corner Sixth and Chestnut Streets. HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA ever held on this continent. That event is still remembered by hundreds of thousands of those who visited it. In the nearly 200 buildings were housed exhibits from every State and many foreign Governments. Remarkable as was that Expo sition, it soon is to be rivaled industrially, commercially, scien tifically, and artistically by the Sesqui-Centennial, which will make Philadelphia the focal point in the eyes of all the world. Two of the Centennial buildings remain. One is Horticultural Hall, which contains a remarkable col lection of rare plants and flowers, many of which were gathered for the Exposition. The other is Me- morial Hall, built as a permanent monument to the Exposition. The latter contains many exhibits of fine paintings and other works of art. It is open to the public free. The City Today The glory of Philadelphia has never departed. Founded upon ideals of peace, its destiny has been to swing the mightiest sword in war after war. And in 19 18, in the greatest of all wars, its service was no less. Half of the ships which bridged the ocean to France were built in the yards of the Delaware River. Philadelphia foundries turned out great guns and the shells which they hurled. From its locomotive works went forth the engines which drew American troops and their supplies along the railways of Philadelphia steel laid down in France under the leadership of Philadelphians. It produced aeroplanes, rifles and bullets, uniforms and shoes, gas masks and gas itself. There was no item of munition or equipment demanded by the military forces which Philadelphia did not supply in great quantities, and, as of old, she supplied, too, a generous share of the wealth with which to pay the costs of war and to relieve the suffering caused by the war. Thus does Philadelphia sustain its glorious record. It is a record of devotion to the ideal of democracy, which expresses completely the past, the present, and the future of the United States of America. o HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA VALLEY FORGE A Shrine of Liberty NO visitor to the patriotic shrines of Philadelphia has completed his cycle without a trip to Valley Forge, where Washington, that patriotic leader of the Continental Army, passed the " winter of his discontent." With the occupation of Phila delphia by the British in 1777, Washington withdrew the Con tinental Army, numbering some 11,000, to this strategic point, twenty-four miles north by northwest from Philadelphia. Food and clothing were inade quate ; great privations resulted. The Pennsylvania Legislature grumbled seriously at this retire ment to winter quarters, and on December 23, 1777, Washington wrote, in reply to the com plaints: "For want of a two days1 supply of provisions an opportunity scarcely ever offered of taking advantage of the enemy that has not been either totally obstructed or greatly impeded. We have this day no less than 2873 men in camp unfit for duty, because they are barefooted and otherwise naked.11 From the lofty Valley Forge observation tower may be seen the wide-spreading panorama of hills and valleys occupied by the ragged, barefoot troops, who huddled throughout the chilly nights over inadequate camp fires, or whose bloody footprints stained the paths of their patrols. Fac similes of the log huts occupied by the troops have been erected, the headquarters of Washington have been restored, and guide- marks lead to the ragged outlines of the original trenches dug by the American troops. In 1903 final steps were taken by the State Legislature to make Valley Forge a State Park. Valley Forge may be reached by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, or by automobile, from Philadelphia through the Park way, starting at City Hall and thence through Fairmount Park to City Line, south on City Line to Lancaster Pike, right turn con tinuing west and branching north at Wayne. <> < BJH < Z/*— ¦ HO z r< CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER II A SERIES OF DRAWINGS ILLUSTRATING THE CIVIC, COMMERCIAL, SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE CITY I T is the fault of Philadelphia and Philadelphians, if modesty be a fault, that the rest of America is not more widely ac quainted with the outstanding commercial and industrial facts that have made Philadelphia "The Workshop of the World." This book seeks to make these facts more widely known among men of affairs of the Nation. Along the Delaware River waterfront of the city proper are the docks and the great ships which come from the seven seas that make Philadelphia the second largest port in America. On the banks of the Delaware are such great shipbuilding plants as Cramps1, the Federal Govern ment's great Navy Yard, at League Island, the New York Shipbuilding Company, on the Jersey shore, and along the edge of its waters sprang up that wonder-work of the world, Hog Island, which sent ships down to the sea on the bosom of the Delaware River to help civilization win the World War. There are Americans who do not know that the Delaware River is navigable to the greatest ships afloat. Philadelphia has been backward in but one respect — she has not CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA been boastful, but, on the other hand, has been too quietly diligent as a throbbing center of industry and commerce. She has retained the deep im pressions left by her Quaker founders. Characteristics which they gave it include simplicity, genuineness, and a quiet way of saying very little, but doing a great deal and doing it well. In the title of this chapter the word central is used with three fold meaning. First, the drawings present some of the most significant and inter esting buildings, streets and other features of the central section. Second, they picture the thor oughness with which Philadelphia meets its responsibilities as the center of a broad metropolitan area — its railway terminals and hotels, its stores, banks and business houses, its clubs and amusements, its institutions of art, learning and social service — its complete equipment for all the activities of modern life. Third, the book seeks to suggest how peculiarly the city is a center for the entire nation. Influential as Philadelphia has been in generations gone, it is to day more dominant than ever. Its commerce is international ; its ships visit every sea; its railroads weave the continent together; its fac tories clothe and feed, enter tain, and make shelter for people everywhere. Those who pass judgment at a venture, and those who take their opinions ready made, have sometimes compared Philadelphia unfavorably with newer, noisier or more outspoken communities. Because Philadelphia has not bothered to refute the comparison, the word has run on from mouth to mouth. Those, however, who have occasion to try the mettle of the city, to seek its patronage, or to contend with it for supremacy, find it far different. They find it eager for whatever is new and good, able to pay well for what it wants and loyal to that which it accepts. They find it happy, home-loving and hos pitable. They find that it works hard, finds time to play and does considerable thinking. •if: \ I r. ¦ I.- '..<%' y-X!m ¦;»<*- KM "Mi « ^ ¦*Vr .', ? S, ¦al'k ,\> , A > '¦- U .,«... V^w-ia '^f> f* < t j" fo ^ ~~£ i>: A view of City Hall and Broad Street Slot ion in the center o/ the city CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA SOUTH BROAD STREET The Longest Straight Street in the Country HERE is pictured, as seen from the lofty tower of the City Hall, a portion of one of the most striking civic thoroughfares in America. Bordering both sides of the wide boulevard, in the very cen ter of the city, are included within a short distance several famous hotels and clubs, theatres, great banks and fine shops, the Academy of Music, the School of Industrial Art and other institutions important in the complex and varied life of a metropolis. A little farther south are great manufacturing plants, and at the end of the street, five miles be yond, the United States Navy Yard at League Island. Broad Street is the longest straight main street in the United States, running fourteen miles a direct line north and in south from the City Hall. Wide, well-paved, brightly lighted and free from car tracks, it is at all times swept by a stream of such brilliant and diversified traffic as is to be seen only in a few of the world's greatest cities. Entrance to City Hall Courtyard South Broad Street, as viewed from City Hall Tower, 53? feet above the city CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA NORTH BROAD STREET The Lincoln Highway Route into the City "OROM City Hall tower the -*- observer sees in the foreground Masonic Temple, a fine example of pure Norman achitecture. At the left is the striking building of the United Gas Improvement Company, a unique enterprise which has pioneered the exten sion of public utility service far beyond the city's borders. Near by, just off Broad Street, is the Young Men's Christian Associa tion. Beyond is the Academy of Fine Arts, then two large armories, and Hahnemann Hospital. Along this stretch is Automobile Row, in which centers the huge trade in pleasure cars and trucks fostered by the wealth and com merce of the city. A little farther on are the freight yards of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and adjoin ing, the greatest industrial plant in the city, the Baldwin Loco motive Works. A few yards from Broad Street at this point rise the Arabic turrets of Lu Lu Temple. Still farther out are many insti tutions such as the Central High Schools, the Widener Memorial Library, Temple University, the Widener Home for Crippled Children, and the William L. Elkins Orphanage. Five miles from City Hall the Lincoln Highway enters Broad Street from the magnificent new Northeast Boulevard. , . f " 'v; 4 A'' « ^'^'^rtfc ' ' ; v" ¦' y'iy~yjy.: ¦-•'- ;• 'h'jMiutt.-vj,*; ' v-'/i' -in'' :,s •••/.-.'."¦' ¦<¦», ¦* \y h '/ ^. >"¦'-- - ¦-.¦ v , ftylfi"- v ---^-"--Ifei' ¦¦-.'V ';• "'"¦*' W»,w^WW , .4' :' :^"^#™$ - V* .I'v.lftMt^l *'Aii-'- — . ¦* • * . t ny- * ? ? w*-"^, s '-'-it' *¥ \^fv&&-£t\ ~i - * -- ¦¦•'¦^-i*,-~ i^f #y[^v?f ^ r»ji -¦> y \\ y }} r ' -\ ll i C,y.'i"< T'^i.l ' A « '. » r i<9 ' V, i 'ft ;i W^-Mf . " "•• ' ,/• 0 r A wV?f> of North Broad Street from City Hall Tower CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA A HISTORIC FINANCIAL INSTITUTION The Girard l^ational Ban\ ROBERT MORRIS financed - the Revolution; Stephen Girard the War of 1812; E. W. Clark the Mexican War; Jay Cooke the Civil War— Philadel- phians all. This fine Greek structure, in Third Street below Chestnut, typifies the service which Phila delphia bankers have always rendered to the nation. For it was erected in 1795 to house the first Bank of the United States, established in Philadelphia four years earlier, in the presidency of George Washington. In 181 2 the building was taken over as a private bank by Stephen Girard, the eccentric mariner, merchant and philanthropist, who in 18 14 lent to a distressed country the sum, tremendous in those times, of $5,000,000. The first banking institution of any kind in the new world had been established in Philadelphia in 1780. Here also came into being the first trust company, the first savings bank, the first building and loan association. Philadelphia capital has sent its stimulus into the farthest corners of the American continent. There is hardly a railroad in the building of which Philadel phia financiers had not their share, while from coast to coast there are street railways, inter- urban lines and other public utilities, as well as great indus tries and mines, which owe their development and their present-day efficiency to Philadel phia courage and Philadelphia capital. II ai'i 4." <=* 1/ )' ['--^fli "' r ¦' UkM" ' '¦ <5yti rTIJ ^ "*--r CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA SOUTH FROM PENN SQUARE The Heart of the Financial District V\ 7ITHIN a few hundred ? V feet is here grouped, about the corner of Broad and Chestnut Streets, an extraordinary num ber of powerful financial insti tutions. One of the handsomest banking buildings in the country is that of the Girard Trust Company, in the center. One of the last crea- tions of Stanford White, it reproduces in design a famous Roman bath, and it is set off by towering skyscrapers on all sides. Philadelphia is America's sec ond city in financial power. It has ioo banks and trust com panies, with $200,000,000 capital and resources well above a billion. What gives it its peculiar strength, however, is the huge volume of trust funds held by these institu tions. These funds aggregate more than a billion dollars. They represent the thrift, sagacity and philanthropy of Philadelphians of generations past. A list of the securities in which they are in vested would be, in effect, a roster of the nation's activities, in every State, in every city. The manufacturer or the mer chant seeking capital for the de velopment of a sound enterprise will find in Philadelphia ready ears, keen judgment and ample resources. No industry, public utility or commercial venture deserving of support has ever languished in Philadelphia for lack of funds. The illustration shows, in addition to the Girard Trust Company, the buildings of the West End Trust Company and the Land Title and Trust Co. On the opposite corner is the Real Estate Trust Company building. \ ^11- SgHui' yf^r- •/e-.y^-j^y.'-f 'hr A '• y>"v- '*¦»' i —4W.,.. - The Girard Trust Company, Broad and Chestnut Streets One of the last and most beautiful of the architectural creations of Stanford White CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA A CITY OF HOSPITALITY Philadelphia Is Famous for Its Hotels THE metropolitan character of a city is often best judged by its hotels. By this standard, as by many others, Philadelphia ranks high among the capitals of the world. Probably in no large city are the hotels so convenient, alike to the railway stations and to the busi ness, shopping and theatre district. The visitor finds that he has a wide choice of accommodations, with assurance of complete com fort at reasonable rates. For the entertainment of con ventions, large or small, the city is ideally fitted. The hotels are so numerous and so closely grouped, that even the largest gatherings are readily absorbed, and it has never been the practice of their managements to take advantage of heavy demand to advance prices, as in some convention cities. This condition, combined with the accessibility of the city itself from the North, West and South, its nearness to great shore resorts and its own facilities for entertainment, attracts annually a large number of the most im portant national and sectional conventions. To enlarge upon Philadelphia cookery is needless. It is enough merely to recall a few of those offerings which on menus every where are more tempting when prefaced by the word " Philadel phia" — scrapple, oysters, pepper- pot, ice cream. With the ocean's finest shell-fish beds at its doors, with the garden States of Mary land and New Jersey near by, and with one of the two most fertile agricultural counties in America but a few miles to the west, Philadelphia draws its food supply from the richest sources in America. ^ a $..» to^yMU ¦ -iy C, _ -. .>i,4S '.!='; T y-j! - i fl yjijw'J ¦"i r- ¦ :» , i1 yyiii •>;^lfili.! •y «= I'1 HyilyP^ \i Mw\4 I Walnut Street ahoec Broad _ y,,, Philadelphia Stock Exchange and the Manufacturers Uvb •a 55 oq g ^p.V %.-¦*« V" ¦ -<^- a- ¦*«--y-— ¦* ¦--»„ ¦ y^f yayf^ 311 4 p-fi/ > //A V, ^psflp^ //Mtt. ilitfy 1 fc * I! ||» ^*^ L frK^ ;.•> /re the Supper Room at the Ritz-Carlton after the Opera CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE STREET OF MILLIONS A World-Famous Group of Department Stores ALONG Market Street <*-. *- stretches, square after square in a solid row, one of the most remarkable groups of department stores in the world. These in clude John Wanamaker's, N. Snellenburg 6? Company, Gimbel Brothers, Strawbridge 6? Clothier, and Lit Brothers. With a trading population of more than 3,000,000 to supply, these stores have developed the science of retail merchandising to the highest point. American de partment store methods, in fact, originated in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia still has the largest and most advanced store in the world. Philadelphia retail practice has always been a criterion for the rest of the country. The reason for the exceptional character of these stores is found in the high purchasing power of the district. The per capita sales of goods are exceeded by no other major city. It is an accepted commercial fact that the Philadelphia demand is for goods of a higher quality and more substantial character. This rich trade deserves and receives a character of service beyond that offered by the stores of other cities. The manufacturer seeking a market for goods finds not only that the buying ability and in telligence of Philadelphians are unusual, but also that there are ample and expert channels of dis tribution at his disposal. Thd Stores are connected directly with the Subway ^yiv% mm a *'>y ¦*¦ . ¦"' '¦.•"¦'hi; ^yr'^nllilf ' -A (to > <£' P^; p A rtew; in perspective, looking west to City Hull, of the notable Department Stores of Philadelph ic CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA ON CHESTNUT STREET The W^idener Building, Wranama\er's and the Hotel Adelphia PHILADELPHIA business men have found themselves able to carry on operations of great magnitude without climb ing scores of stories above the street in towering sky-scrapers. The many office buildings of the city are modern, well lighted, fire-proof and well appointed. The Widener Building is one of the newest and most hand some. It stands on Chestnut Street near Broad. Broad and Chestnut Streets is the heart of central Philadelphia. Chestnut Street is a great mart of retail trade. Tens of thou sands of people line its sidewalks every business day, while the noble breadth of Broad Street is constantly the scene of great parades, some of them peculiarly typical of Philadelphia, notably the Mummer's Parade, held on New Year's Day each year. Arcade in the Widener Building *y^;y:yy;f% >.-$W Hi i»<>i :fmipMm0m kv "'"!&,; Ii" ' '¦-' ¦; '¦"•¦"¦'¦ --•-¦- . IfyffiffW' ^ -S.&& c vy»ri n ! < . ra^: lyfiyy "!- Tii'rfftfi ., -.. j,-- ¦ , ¦ L^-./7#^iS ,1 1 « iii' I try $ i frPSfr Vi A weit) of Chestnut Street, looking east from Broad Street CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE CUSTOM HOUSE On Chestnut Between Fourth and Fifth Streets THIS structure, modeled after the Parthenon at Athens, begun in 1819 and completed in 1824, recalls a famous controversy between Nicholas Biddie, presi dent of the Bank of the United States, and Andrew Jackson, then President of the United States. With that tenacity of purpose which has been a char acteristic of a famous line of Biddies, the president of the Second Bank of the United States weathered successfully the storms of adversity directed against it by the Jackson administration and came out with flying colors in the face of the fact that the Federal Government virtually withdrew its entire support from the bank as a financial institution. In 1829 President Jackson, in his first message to Congress, criticised the bank, questioning its constitutionality and reflecting upon its management of the cur rency. The whole country was aroused by what was deemed to be an unmerited stricture on the administration of the bank by its president, Nicholas Biddie, and when, in 1832, it was sought to renew the charter, the political pot was at fever heat, both houses of Congress voting for its renewal; but President Jackson vetoed it, precipitating what has since been known in American history as the "bank war." General Jackson was re-elected and at once ordered the removal of all of the govern ment deposits. For four years the bank and Mr. Biddie were ex posed to the animosity of partisan warfare, but Mr. Biddie kept the credit of the bank secure through all distress. So much so that Robert T. Conrad, a former Mayor of Philadelphia, in a notice of Nicholas Biddie, wrote : " On the removal of the deposits and at every subsequent act of hostility, it was exultingly pro claimed that the ruin of the bank was at length accomplished; yet, to the last hour of its chartered existence, it maintained a credit coextensive with the commercial world, and a prosperity that was tested, not shaken, by assaults." y --. v.-'' ai % *; J. "*: ,;>'^/ 77/ r ( 'usloiu House on Chestnut Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA A CENTER OF VAST BUSINESS OPERATIONS The Philadelphia Bourse TMPORTANT as it is in in- ¦*- dustry, Philadelphia is also dominant in wholesale commerce. In the Bourse, a great building similar to the bourses of European countries, and the only one of its kind in America, are centered many commercial organizations and the offices of many importers, ¦wholesalers and manufacturers. From the city are tapped the rapidly expanding markets of the South, as well as those of Penn sylvania and northern sections. The Bourse contains great ex changes, where thousands of mer chants transact business every day — the commercial exchange, which conducts the trade in grain, flour and provisions ; the maritime exchange, which represents ship ping and marine interests, and the grocers and importers exchange, which holds auctions of foods. Bulletin boards display market quotations from all parts of the world, and direct wires run to every great trading center in America. In the basement is a permanent exhibit of machinery, tools and engines, representative of the pre eminence of Philadelphia in the mechanical industries. m&m i : ' $^_i n&^iiw :¦'*.#. ** *£s «Sk£^L t£&3 jy*2t£#"' ¦-' ¦•" ---t\-' >i \ - — -n y -— - *w=i — ".'¦"": ¦^*l«*< JgDftUi IkiL fe: y'4; CT^*^;,"^r-- -.-- * > i' ?'; .--^" si mi ?- rSi'^ff«- ~ W.'iB«!« - .\>* -ii:;!:-- CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA'S ACADEMY OF MUSIC THE corner stone was laid in July, 1855, and the completed building was opened January 26, 1857. ^ was planned to open this temple of music on January 20th, but a severe snow storm blocked the streets and made traffic impossible. The first event was a grand concert ball, followed by five nights of promenade concerts. The first opera presented in the Academy was Verdi's 'Trova- tore," by Maratzek's Opera Company, direct from Havana. At the time of its erection, the Academy of Music attracted widespread notice, because of its size, seating 3000 people, its large stage, 51 feet wide by 73 feet deep, its Italian Byzantine archi tecture, its commodious entrance, and its unusual foyer, 73 feet long, 27 feet wide, 18 feet high, with 13-foot stairways at each end, leading to the balcony. "Faust" was first presented in the Academy of Music in 1872, "Notre Dame of Paris" in 1876, while Adaline Patti sang in the "Barber of Seville" in this build ing in i860. It would be impos sible to enumerate all of the operatic stars who have delighted Philadelphia audiences in this magnificent building. During the Civil War the Academy was the scene of many notable gatherings. On October 23, 1865, a fair was held for the benefit of the Soldiers and Sailors Home. General Grant, General Meade, Admiral Farragut, and Bishop Simpson were prominent in the exercises. The fair closed November 4th, with net proceeds of $88,354.60. On Washington's Birthday Anniversary, 1873, the Academy was used to hold the first meet ing of the committee planning the Centennial, Senator Cameron pre siding. At this meeting, $1,784,- 320 was reported pledged toward the project, which a Federal appropriation of a million within a few months made a certainty. The Academy of Music is at present the home of the Phila delphia Orchestra and the scene of all Philadelphia's grand opera activities. CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE A j\ational Influence in Scientific Progress "OOR close upon a century the ¦*- Franklin Institute has wielded an influence upon the progress of science which has been felt throughout the world. Founded in 1828 for the promotion of the mechanical arts, the society has had 15,000 students, many of whom have risen to eminence in the professions for which it has trained them, and has been the model for many similar institu tions in other cities. It conducts free courses of lec tures by scientific authorities, publishes an important journal and maintains a special library of great value. The society has given to the nation much significant service, as in the perfection of meteorological observation, in testing structural and mechanical materials for the Government, and in determining the proportions of screw threads adopted as the United States standard. There are many other efficient schools for vocational education. The School of Industrial Art teaches the arts as applied to handicraft, and includes a textile school which gives thorough training in all branches of textile manufacture, supporting the long- continued dominance of Philadel phia in that industry. Drexel Institute offers practical courses in engineering, secretarial work and domestic science. y /'¦¦¦iff/'- / ii' i;i':i':: ;'// ' S jf / ' , >h A :y\ \ "¦¦ sx:X\.h^ Vfe 'O^Jy_L_y Building of the Franklin Institute, which body has wielded a national influence in setcntijic progress CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA MASONIC TEMPLE The Home of the Oldest Grand Lodge in America r"T*HE first Masonic Grand Lodge -*- in America, and the third in the entire world, was instituted in Philadelphia in 1731. This Grand Lodge, which has had a distinguished history, is today housed in one of the most magnificent of all Masonic temples. The exterior of the massive building at Broad and Filbert Streets is of pure Nor man architecture. More than half a million dollars has been expended upon the interior. Among the many rooms are seven great halls, each decorated lavishly in the style of a different period — Corinthian, Renaissance, Ionic, Egyptian, Norman, Oriental and Gothic. Throughout the building are valuable carvings, sculpture, and mural paintings, and many por traits of distinguished Pennsyl vania Masons, among them George Washington, Marquis de La Fa yette, who was an honorary mem ber of the Grand Lodge of Penn sylvania, and Benjamin Franklin, who was a Grand Master. The museum of lAasonic lore is the most complete in the world. It includes priceless jewels and other insignia from every country, and many rare exhibits, such as the original apron used by George Washington as Master, and worn by him in 1793 when he laid the corner stone of the Capitol at Washington. Egyptian Room Bui Idinq of the Masonic Temple, in which is housed the .first Grand Lodge in America and the third in. the entire world CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE STREET OF LITTLE CLUBS A Picturesque Byway AMONG those who cherish -*~ *- the quaintness which most American cities lack, Camac Street is widely known. Here in a narrow side street, just off the broad thoroughfares where the traffic roars, is a quiet cluster of some of the most attrac tive small club houses in America. Philadelphia has its great social and business organizations, with quarters equal in grandeur and comfort to those of other cities, but it is most proud, perhaps, of its little clubs of artists, writers, and similar groups of the people who conspire to make life in Philadelphia interesting and inspiring, as well as industrious. The very names of these clubs are suggestive of their charm — Le Coin D'Or, The Stragglers, The Sketch Club, The Plastic Club, The Poor Richard Club, The Franklin Inn, The Meridian Club, the Princeton Club. The visitor to Philadelphia who is so fortunate as to be invited into any of these charac teristic gathering places will find the interiors as well worth while as the picturesque exteriors. The, Franklin Inn Club CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE CURTIS BUILDING The Home of Three of America's Greatest Publications The Ladies' Home Journal The Saturday Evening Post The Country Gentleman IT is unquestionably the most notable publishing house in existence. It occupies the whole block between Sixth and Seventh and Walnut and Sansom Streets, and it faces on Independence Square, where stands Indepen dence Hall and other buildings famed as Revolutionary land marks. On the Walnut Street side it is flanked by Washington Square; thus two sides of this wonderful building face public parks. Visit ors from all over America who come to Philadelphia to see its almost illimitable number of his torical buildings and industrial structures include the Curtis Building in their itinerary, not alone for its classic exterior, but because of its beautiful interior. Mr. Curtis procured the site for this new building only after a great deal of thought, and ap proved the plans for its con struction only after the widest personal research work. In its planning, while he made every provision for it as a great manu facturing plant which turns out millions of copies of his different publications weekly, he was cer tain that he could provide a beautiful, a healthful, and a bene ficial place for the thousands of men and women who participate in the production of these publi cations in all departments. Rest rooms, recreation rooms, lunching rooms, and, to supple ment all these, a wonderful coun try club for his employees have been provided. All of these were visioned long before the first spadeful of earth was turned to put down the foundations of the great Curtis Building. .a fi.3^ 3 >i?i--.V'i^: t. MthfE^^i^-' S ^ Ps^4*,y RTlJT I IX. w-X'--^— H-:. '- ,' <¦-.-.';„.. ~" -V -. n ,™. __ ' •-' m. •'•Jt .1.-41.*-- " if j -'••! - *¦ •"¦' -* > * ti - .., : -' *&2i$^Affiy* -n -3 !. !'i.. lik, i !';' 'Iii|'_ '\\ . * /¦"'- &:.i«Mywiiwy, CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA NEW HOME OF THE PUBLIC LEDGER Being Erected at Independence Square and Chestnut Street ACTUAL construction has *- *- started for the finest news paper building in the United States, as the home of the Public Ledger (Morning, Evening, and Sunday editions), next to the great plant of the Curtis Publish ing Company. It will occupy an entire square, and will be of brick and marble construction, ten stories in height. In architectural character, it will harmonize with the Curtis Building, as well as with the colonial lines of historic Inde pendence Hall across the street. At the front entrance on Chestnut Street will be a portico of mono lithic maible columns. The first unit of this building, which will be devoted to manu facturing, will cost approximately $1,000,000, and the great battery of twelve presses have cost another $1,000,000. This is the largest single order ever given for printing presses since the art of printing first was discovered. They, of course, will represent the most recent accomplishment in the perfection of printing presses and will be augmented by a twenty-cylinder multi-color press, the output of which will be ap proximately 20,000 papers an hour. If all of the thirty-six units of the new presses were to operate con tinuously for an hour they could turn out 960,000 papers of twelve pages and as many as 240,000 papers of forty-eight pages an hour. The intervening floors will be occupied by the editorial offices and other facilities of the Public Ledger and by tenants. k &*&«=<, ifiiftito •.¦$'#.-?,,{ * )«¦'.**>'•' F ¦fcu.-Tf.v - , u'Hi/^n.:;fi^'ili''-i'/v '¦ i'imi'h Y'MV. •'* J . ¦'-ft #.'<•*** /. J, '' ' '¦ .vy -v» vy-yy « - -5| V; -" ^/iy OV -v • ~\-%> ,-jija i**-»tn ¦, f. ,..¦,;., .v, "i\i,,*v . ,- \ •*• i '"in , Ah* ' ',v- ¦»;{ «,iv -¦>¦ y ¦ >- , \ h-o-i, ..\f}^- ... < ¦ V =• = Vl"'l %"V N £-3 CENTRAL PHILADELPHIA THE PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Located at Twelfth and W^alnut Streets THE Philadelphia Chamber of development of the port, advance- Commerce, with a member- ment of the Sesqui-Centennial ship of more than 6000, is one of Exposition project, improvement the largest organizations of its of traffic conditions, the develop- kind in America. ment of better streets, better It is working continually for the water supply, better policing, and progress and development of com- better transit, and carrying on mercial and industrial Philadel- Americanization work. phia, not neglecting any of those In the new home of the Cham- broad civic undertakings which ber of Commerce, at Twelfth and add to the welfare of its citizens Walnut Streets, meeting and in the present and anticipate the reading rooms are at the disposal well-being of those of the future, of members. Both the civic work and the indi- The following committees all vidual effort are performed through are at work for Philadelphia : a corps of officers, all men of promi- Advisory, Agricultural, Ameri- nence in Philadelphia, through canization, Arbitration, Aviation, seven bureaus, each with a trained Banking and Currency, Charities force of men who are specialists and Welfare, Conventions and in their lines, and through twenty- Exhibitions, Delaware River nine committees. The latter cover Bridge, Educational, Entertain- virtually every ramification of ment, Executive, Finance, Fire, the city's life. These committees Foreign Trade, Good Roads, comprise men who have long Harbor and Navigation, Industrial studied the particular problems Relations Committee, Legislation, that fall within their scope. Membership, Merchant Marine, The breadth of its work is MunicipalAffairs, Publicity, Public shown by some of the tasks it Utilities, Retail Merchants, Taxa- has performed, such as the better- tion and Postal Affairs, Trade Ex- ment of industrial relationships, pansion,Traffic and Transportation. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER III THE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS, PARKS, TRANSPOR TATION FACILITIES, RECREATION GROUNDS, AND INSTITUTIONS WHICH MAKE UP THE MOST NO TABLE SUBURBAN AREA IN THE UNITED STATES w HEN all is said, a The city itself is of great extent, community is a occupying a territory that stretches place in which to twenty-three miles along the Dela- live, and its great- ware, and seven miles in depth. ness must be meas- Two majestic rivers wind ured by the opportunities which through and past it, with many it gives to its residents for living lovely tributary streams. Lying comfortably, economically and about it almost in a circle is a sweep completely. By such a standard, ofglorious country rising gradually the metropolitan area of which westward toward the mountains. Philadelphia is the center is with- Within this suburban territory out an equal. are more than 2,000,000 people, ^ and within forty miles of the City In natural beauty, in residential Hall there are more than 3,000,- development, m transportation °°°- Virtually every family in the facilities and convenience, in the district, including those m the city number and variety of progres- itself,lives ma separate house, and a sive institutions, the Philadelphia great percentage of these families district is unique. own &&1 h°mes- Tenements and METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL flats have never invaded the "city of homes " successfully, while slums are almost unknown. cfa The suburbs are the most famous in the United States, the envy of all other cities. One may ride through village after vil lage and see row upon row of quiet, shady streets, with modern houses each with its generous plot of ground. There is no crowd ing, no ugliness, no distortion. Whatever their income, the people who live in and about Philadelphia live normal lives in attractive sur roundings. Throughout the district, too, are hundreds of fine country homes and estates of great mag nificence, built by the long-estab lished wealth of Philadelphians. Excellent highways, many of them of historic origin, radiate in all directions and afford quick and pleasant access by automo bile to every part of the district without the tedious detours neces sary in the outskirts of so many large cities. Several railways and interurban systems give to the city and its suburbs rapid and conven ient commutation in all directions. The earliest traditions of Wil liam Penn and Benjamin Franklin still cling to the district and find expression in a multitude of insti tutions for the advancement of the public well-being. Many colleges and schools of national importance, museums, charitable and scientific organi zations are found -within a few miles of the city in which were first proclaimed the doctrines of liberty, tolerance and the right of every American to culture as well as comfort. Philadelphia has always spent money freely upon education, science and the arts, and has made the benefits available not to the fortunate few, but to the entire population. The city has been equally generous in providing recreation and the means for maintaining the well-being of the people. Within the city limits is Fair- mount Park, the largest city par\ in America, and one which is METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL undoubtedly used with less sense fringes, the Philadelphia metro- of restraint and by more persons politan district represents the than any park in the world. Sports highest ideal obtainable in modern flourish throughout the entire dis- community life. trict. The rivers in summer are To the prospective resident it always dotted with pleasure craft promises freedom from the con- of all descriptions. There arc gestion and inconvenience of dozens of beautiful country clubs, other large cities, and at the same and the finest public golf course in time the enjoyment of all the America. Upon the courts and advantages of a great metropolis. grounds about the city are played To the person seeking educa- important matches at tennis, tion it opens the doors of a cricket, polo, golf,and football. The score of universities, libraries, universities offer a constant pro- museums and other institutions gram of athletic events, while the of the first rank. records of Philadelphia's two For the visitor it has a rich major league clubs in the national store of historic associations and game requires no mention. every provision for recreation and <£ amusement, and it is the gateway t-. t r _i i to the nation's greatest shore For every class of the popula- . . . Jf. , i v j- . resort, Atlantic City. tion there is ample opportunity to live comfortably, to find profit- To the business man seeking a able employment, congenial rec- mar\a for hls goods lt presents reation and education at the untold opportunity. least cost. In the pages which follow are This is the secret of Philadel- pictured a few of the many build- phia's possession of the greatest ings and scenes in and about body of highly paid skilled labor Philadelphia which the visitor will ever gathered into one commu- be interested to see, and which in- nity. With a highly developed dicate the success with which the industrial city at its core, and city has fulfilled the ambition of its some of the most fertile agricul- founder — "to build a towne which tural land in America at its outer will always be wholesome." METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE WATERFRONT AND ITS DOCKS Philadelphia is an Important Seaport FIFTY-FIVE miles from the ocean on the Delaware River, Philadelphia is the only fresh water port on the Atlantic Coast. It has a 35-foot channel to the sea, and millions of dollars have been expended in recent years in improving the harbor. Steamships clear from Philadel phia to all the major ports of the globe. There are more than 30 miles of improved water front and more than 250 wharves and docks. A belt line railway, operated jointly by three trunk line railroads, and well -equipped marine terminals afford prompt and economical means of handling the huge volume of commerce, which amounts to more than a billion dollars annually. With extraordinary deposits of iron and coal near by, with ample rail facilities, and with deep water transportation at their doors, Philadelphia manufacturers are in strategic position to challenge the world's best competition — and they do so successfully. The new Southwark Piers are the first completed steps in a vast project of development which will call for an expenditure of $20,000,000 and which will raise Philadelphia to still higher rank in international trade. u: - n .«*r > 'J,')\ :• - i ;,.y f&/ y One of the Great Docks on Philadelphia's Hirer Front Typical of scores of others that line the rieer's edae METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL DELAWARE RIVER BRIDGE THE culmination of many years of effort became reality when, on January 6, 1922, the Governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Mayors of Phila delphia and Camden, together with thousands of residents of both States and cities, gathered at the edge of the Delaware River, between Race and Vine Streets, actually to break ground for the Delaware River Bridge. This largest of all suspension bridges will be completed, it is contemplated, in July of the Sesqui-Centennial Year, 1926. The estimated cost of the bridge is $28,871,000, exclusive of prop erty damages and cost of widen ing approaches, which are approximately another $7,000,000. It will directly connect Frank lin Square, in Philadelphia, with Pearl Street, in Camden, provid ing the long-needed facilities for rapid and convenient vehicular transportation between the two cities. The extreme width of the bridge is 125 feet 6 inches, providing space for six lines of vehicular traffic and four car lines. Two ten-foot walks are provided for pedestrians. The main span of the bridge is 1750 feet between towers. The Williamsburg Bridge has a span of 1600 feet, the Brooklyn Bridge a span of 1 596 feet ; therefore, the Delaware River Bridge surpasses by 1 50 feet the longest suspension bridge in the world. The clearance above high tide level is 135 feet for the central 800 feet of the span, permitting any vessel now in the United States Navy to pass under the bridge. The span will be suspended on the two-cable design, using cables of thirty-inch diameter. Each cable will contain 16,500 wires, 192 inches in diameter, made up in sixty-one strands, bound together and wrapped with serving wire, and fastened at every twenty and one-half feet with a cast-steel saddle, over which four galvanized wire ropes, 1% inches in diameter each, will be hung to carry the mammoth sus pended structure and its traffic burdens. &— m -«tyv y. ¦ ¦CJ-V ' vte:-"4 'i ' „ METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE ELEVATED AND THE FERRIES Philadelphia Has Exceptional Transportation Facilities NO small part of the fame of pleted Frankford Subway and the Philadelphia metropoli- "L," to take care of the fast- tan district is due to its transpor- growing traffic of the expanding tation facilities. city. Outside the business sec- There is no other large city whose tion the subway trains run upon suburbs are brought so close, and elevated tracks and at the water whose workers reach their homes so front connect with the ferries to quickly and easily. New Jersey. The several railways, with sta- Soon the great new suspension tions at the very center of the city, bridge spanning the Delaware maintain rapid and frequent sub- will lighten the ever-increasing urban services, one of them elec- traffic burdens of the ferries. This trified. will be the largest expansion bridge High speed electric interurban in the world, and 145 feet longer lines radiate in all directions over than the Williamsburg bridge in private rights of way ? Through New York. It will have a capacity the heart of the city there are sub- of 5000 automobiles and 3000 elec -ways, including the recently com- trie cars an hour. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE GREATEST PARK IN AMERICA The City from Belmont Mansion "UAIRMOUNT PARK is the -*- largest city park in America and the most beautiful in the world. It covers 3500 acres of rolling country, extending for miles along both sides of the Schuylkill River and reaching almost to the center of the city. To natural scenery of great majesty has been added the art of man. There are many miles of excellent roads, rustic walks and shady bridle paths. Groves, ponds, playgrounds, ten nis courts, boat houses, ball fields give recreation to people of all ages and inclinations. Probably no city park is so freely used. An accurate count has shown that 3,000,000 pedes trians and 1,600,000 vehicles have entered its gates in one year. Among the most famous drives in the country is this boulevard along the Wissahickon, in Fair- mount Park. The narrow river winds over a rocky bed, between sheer cliffs, densely wooded. At each turn of the road new vistas are pre sented, and far up the ravine is crossed by a lofty bridge, high above the tree-tops, from which magnificent views may be seen. Along the banks are picnic groves and quiet paths for pedes trians and riders, while the river itself is ideal for canoeing. Not least of the charms of Fairmount Park are its facilities for boating of all kinds. At the foot of Lemon Hill, on the East Drive, is the row of attractive stone boathouses main tained by a dozen or more clubs, known as the " Schuylkill Navy." From early spring to winter these clubs send out the shells, canoes and other craft which dot the river for many miles. Frequent rowing contests are held on the course afforded by the broad, smooth stream at this point. Among these are impor tant intercollegiate races, which attract thousands of spectators. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE PARKWAY Leading Directly into the Center of the City FEW cities are as fortunate as Philadelphia in the accessi bility of their great parks. Thanks to the foresight of earlier gener ations, and to the energy and wisdom of the present generation, Philadelphia not only has the greatest park in America, but now has direct and immediate access to that park from the very center of the city. The new Parkway leads from City Hall into Fairmount Park. Wuh the courage ofprogressiveness, the city has leveled old buildings over a broad area, widened streets, and created a broad boulevard. This magnificent thoroughfare eventually will be bordered by many notable buildings. At the far end will stand the Art Museum, and on Logan Square a great new library. The plans also contemplate a Convention Hall and Municipal Auditorium, a Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and other fine struc tures. By this route one is able to reach Fairmount Park in five minutes by automobile from Broad Street. tsfc^r* , */' . >V ¦¦.i"- i, , -*p ..-.,;r— ~<™?**KI~'^ ¦eC> " /',v";ri: A-/>^- V- -!•:>¦•- Aview of Philadelphia's wonderful Parkway, which leads the automobilist or the eisitor directly from the heart of the city at City Hall square into the greatest munieijial park in the world in less than flee minutes METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE ROOSEVELT BOULEVARD The Entrance to the City from the J^orth HPHOSE who are so fortunate -*- as to leave New York and come to Philadelphia enter the city, if they come by automobile, over the great new Roosevelt Boulevard. It is a part of the Lincoln High' way route. With four broad roadways, separated by rows of trees and lawn and magnifi cently paved and brightly lighted, this boulevard stretches away from Broad Street many miles to the northeast. It is typical of Philadelphia enterprise and thoroughness, and representative of the many auto mobile roads which radiate from the city in all directions. The famous system of turnpikes with which the early Pennsylvanians opened up this fertile territory is rapidly developing into a net work of highways that delight the tourist. Many of the old toll roads have been taken over by the State and made free to all. There are few great cities that are reached so quickly and com fortably by automobile from all directions, or whose surround ings offer so wide a variety of beautiful motor trips, short or long. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL A*W^r; %L. ' »' A CITY WITHOUT A SLUM Philadelphia Has Close Upon 400,000 Separate Homes HPHE greatest fame of Phila- ¦*- delphia is expressed by its title, "The City of Homes." There could be no fact more indicative of the contentment, comfort, health and prosperity of its people. Within the city limits there are close to 40o,oooseparate residences. A brief calculation, comparing this with the population, will show that virtually every family in Philadelphia lives in its own indi vidual home. There are no slums. There are practically no flats. New York, by contrast, has 3,500,000 people living in tene ments and apartments, and can boast of less than 125,000 one- family houses. Philadelphia has three times that number of one- family houses. Most of these Philadelphia houses are of two or three stories, and only 13,000 are of frame construction; the rest, brick and stone. Still more significant is the fact that 125,000 of these houses are owned by the families who occupy them. Building and loan associ ations have conspired with the natural thrift and energy of Philadelphians to make this ideal condition possible. It was in Philadelphia that the idea of such organizations origi nated, and Philadelphia has carried out the idea to the fullest and most practical point. There are today more than a thousand of these associations in the city, and no family with the desire for a home of its own need lack for one. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE FINEST SUBURBS IN THE UNITED STATES The Metropolitan District of Philadelphia Has A[o Rival TN one particular, no American ¦*¦ city ever seeks to challenge the supremacy of Philadelphia. The suburbs of Philadelphia are acknowledged to be the finest in the United States — in extent, in beauty, in facilities for com fortable living at moderate cost, and in accessibility from the center of the city. Within the city limits in some directions, and immediately out side in others, lie the most charm ing residential districts that can be found anywhere in America. In fifteen minutes on the elec trified railroads, or in half an hour by trolley or automobile, one may reach a score of different towns and villages. Most of these have all the advantages of city service — excellent schools, churches, stores and clubs, good roads, water and other utilities —combined with quiet surroundings and a distinct democratic community life. The famous Main Line suburbs extend along the Pennsylvania Railroad toward the west, one after another, for twenty miles, while on the Reading and to the southwest are a dozen other localities, each with its own worthy claim upon the affections of the commuter and the admira tion of the visitor. No person, whatever his means, need live inside the city unless he cares to do so, for among these suburbs it is possible to find one adapted to any pocket-book, or easily reached from any place of employment down town or in the industrial districts. ;yr~. "v' v. v ^':\U;>' ,->. - «"vA .'. 1A-f . >^J>r--"--n\..i. i METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL MAGNIFICENT COUNTRY ESTATES Testifying to the Wealth of Philadelphia IT is testimony not only to the extraordinary beauty of the country about Philadelphia, but also to its great wealth, that there are within a radius of a few miles so many magnificent resi dences and country estates. From the earliest days, when William Penn chose for himself a homestead overlooking the river, on a spot then far from the busy town, Philadelphians have taken full advantage of the lovely sur roundings of their city — the roll ing hills, the woods, the great rivers, the sparkling creeks and broad meadow-lands. Most city folk must go many miles before they find room or inclination to build a country home. Not so the fortunate Phila delphians. There are places of many acres, with outlooks unsur passed by any rural scenery, and many of them with the finest of farm land about them — and not a one but can be reached by train or automobile from the city in less than an hour. These estates reflect the sub stantial character of the fortunes which have been built up by the merchants, manufacturers and financiers of Philadelphia. Many of them belong to families whose wealth dates back for generations, some even beyond the Revolution. On the pages immediately fol lowing are pictured several char acteristic homes among the many which the visitor to Philadelphia will wish to see. . '^ «* 4 4' rfff^~--U)'-p^. METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL A GREAT ART MUSEUM Part of the Future Development J<[ow Under Construction IN art Philadelphia has long held leadership. It is the home of the oldest art institution in America, and the annual exhibi tion of the Academy is the most important artistic event of the year. The staff of the Academy includes several of the country's most talented instructors, and many of the best painters and sculptors obtained their training there. The eminence of Philadelphia m the field of art will be further emphasized upon the completion of the new Art Museum, which is to stand at the head of the new Parkway. The illustration on the page opposite was drawn from the plans and models which are already prepared. This building, with its magnifi cent surroundings and approaches, will be perhaps the most notable of the many fine structures which will surround the Parkway. The Washington Monument i This building will be one oj the most beautiful art museums in existence. It is now under construction METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA A Few of Its Seventy Buildings FOUNDED in 1749, through the influence of Benjamin Franklin, the University of Penn sylvania has graduated more students than any other Ameri can University, except Harvard. Thus the liberal culture fostered from the earliest days by Phila delphia has been carried to the limits of the continent, and has deeply influenced the advance of American education. Graduates from this institution were among the signers, both of the Declara tion of Independence and of the Constitution, and ever since, Pennsylvania men have been at the forefront of every great pro gressive movement. With schools of law, medicine, dentistry, science, finance, archi tecture, philosophy and other branches of learning, the Univer sity has a wide field of activity. The famous Medico-Chirurgical College has been merged with the medical school. The museums are particularly rich. In the archaeological museum is an exceptional collec tion of Babylonian and Egyptian exhibits, including the only sphinx ever brought to America. The University is but one of the numerous educational insti tutions of note in the Philadel phia district. Within a few miles of the city are Haverford, Villa Nova, Swarthmore, and Bryn Mawr colleges. ttBii,' ¦SH il. **iH£sa t', ¦ «*!.. V>V. >.M '-fe-'— \ .r "Y-* * w- Y'1 < y* r»^yw, .¦,;.». ¦ s .-^ ? ¦ '.r<./ METROPOLITAN AND INDUSTRIAL WILLOW GROVE, THE FINEST OF PLEASURE PARKS " The Summer Musical Capital of America " THOSE who believe that one amusement park is just like another should see Willow Grove and be converted. Like almost anything else that touches on the health, comfort or recreation of the public, "they do these things better in Philadelphia." This is the most attractive pleasure park in the United States. It includes not only the familiar amusements that delight all children, whether grown-up or not, but other features that are unique and characteristically Philadelphian. Its great out-door amphitheatre, for example, has won for it the title "The Summer Musical Capital of America." In this amphitheatre, seating four or five times as many people as the usual theatre, hundreds of thousands hear concerts of the world's best music performed by the finest American bands and orchestras. Famous conductors deem it the highest compliment to be invited to lead at Willow Grove. John Philip Sousa has said, ™ Willow Grove is a cause for congratula tion for every American who tak^s an interest in the art development of our country" The entire park is laid out in a consistent scheme of picturesque ness and good taste. In one of the lakes there is an electric fountain, built at a cost of $100,000. **£ '-rf^-'i&ff'i