Quick History Stops: Philadelphia, PA, Part 3

During my trip to Philadelphia, PA, I spent time walking around the historic portion of the city. Because this is one of the most politically significant locations in the modern world, the streets are lined with informational signage, and nearly every building had a plaque. This miniseries of quick history stops will have four parts. The first part covered a bank building, a Quaker meeting house, a fire station dedicated to Benjamin Franklin, a cemetery, and a very old alley. The second part covered a historic house possibly belonging to a Founding Mother, commercial buildings from the Industrial Revolution, and a courtyard showcasing local history. The third part will cover a bicentennial speech from an unlikely speaker, a publishing company, a preservation society, a religious statue, an historic athletic facilities, and a diner.

The red brick Georgian Revival style Nelson Building at 226 Walnut Street, across the road from the Merchant Exchange Building, was named for architect and interior designer John J. Nelson Sr. who housed his firm there. Nearby on the corner of Third and Walnut Streets is the Benjamin Rush Garden featuring a bell cast by Great Britain from the same foundry as the Liberty Bell in honor of the bicentennial celebration in 1976. The house of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, once stood on this site. On a red brick wall near the bell are a pair of plaques, one with the relief sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II and the other inscribed with her gracious speech during the bicentennial.

The Georgian style Curtis Publishing Company stands at the corner of South Sixth and Walnut Streets near the Jewelers’ Row District. Its most famous publications, as listed on a metal plaque affixed to the side of its building, were The Saturday Evening Post (known for its covers painted by Norman Rockwell), Ladies’ Home Journal, Jack and Jill, Holiday, and American Home. Today, the company primarily deals in licensing. As for the jewelers, they established their row between Walnut and Market Streets around 1851, making it the oldest diamond district in the country. However, the buildings predate the formal district, as these were designed by Scottish-American Thomas Carstairs for Quaker developer William Sansom between 1799 and 1820 in an attempt to create a housing development.

The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks has a grandiose name but only four houses in its care at this time. The organization began in 1931 under the guidance of Frances Anne Wister, a philanthropist determined to save her favorite houses. She also supported the Philadelphia Orchestra, Pennsylvania Parks Association (now Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation), and the Octavia Hill Association for affordable housing. I did not go into any of these houses, but I did see Powel House from the street and read its battered informational sign. Wealthy young couple Samuel and Elizabeth Willing Powel (also spelled Powell) bought the house just before their marriage in 1765. Samuel would twice serve as the mayor of Philadelphia before dying in the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1793 at age fifty-five.

The final stop within the historic part of Philadelphia was the sculpture Religious Liberty (1876) created by Moses Jacob Ezekiel, the first American Jewish sculptor to become famous around the world. The work was funded by Zionist organization B'nai B'rith International, founded in New York City but currently headquartered in Washington, DC, and was originally part of the 1876 Centennial Exposition hosted by the city of Philadelphia. Today, the statue stands in front of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Somewhat ironically, the statue includes the vaguely Greco-Roman Goddess of Liberty and the spirit of Faith along with an angry bald eagle.

In other parts of the city, I visited Franklin Field at University of Pennsylvania and The Dining Car restaurant. Named after university founder Benjamin Franklin, the field and nearby Italianate buildings were constructed in 1922 and restored in stages for its hundredth anniversary. The track is under four hundred meters in circumference in the first lane, so it is bypassed for most modern meets, but I did watch the Grand Slam Track event currently embroiled in financial controversies. As for The Dining Car, the vintage building and extensive menu provides the taste of diners from the 1950s for an affordable price. This is a great stop for Philly cheesesteaks and chicken croquettes at the end of a history-filled day.