Collection of nearly 3,000 stereographs published and distributed in or of Philadelphia. The photographs mainly portray commercial and residential street scenes, particularly Market and Chestnut streets; religious, public, financial, and industrial buildings and institutions; and historic and prominent landmarks as well as a small selection of non-Philadelphia views.

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The $1,000 baby house.
Unmounted stereograph showing the interior of an architectural model of a house designed by premier tradesmen of the city. Displayed on Union Avenue. The Great Central or Sanitary Fair held June 7-28, 1864 on Logan Circle was one of several national fairs that displayed art, craft, and historical exhibits to benefit the U.S. Sanitary Commission, a soldier relief organization., Title from printed paper label below image., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
The $1,000 baby house.
Unmounted stereograph showing the interior of an architectural model of a house designed by premier tradesmen of the city. Displayed on Union Avenue, the main thoroughfare in the fair building. Patriotic bunting hangs from the rafters in the background. The Great Central or Sanitary Fair held June 7-28, 1864 on Logan Circle was one of several national fairs that displayed art, craft, and historical exhibits to benefit the U.S. Sanitary Commission, a soldier relief organization., Title from printed text on paper label below image. Also from manuscript note on mount: $1000 baby house., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
22d and Green Sts., Philada.
View of dwellings and landscaped lawns separated by iron fences on the 2200 block Green Street. Two fountains decorate the lawns in the foreground. Possibly from 2222-2224 Green Street looking east., Title printed on mount., Photographer's imprint in black text on mount., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
24th Regiment, U[nited] S[tates] C[olored] T[roops] at Camp William Penn
View showing the African American 24th Regiment standing in ranks at Camp William Penn, Cheltenham Township. Two white officers stand in front of the regiment gathered next to the camp's barracks. Begun in 1863 with the support of the Union League, Camp William Penn was the first Pennsylvania camp for volunteer African American regiments. Eleven regiments were formed at the camp, including the 24th. Camp William Penn was the largest existing camp for the training of officers to lead African American troops., Accessioned 1981., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
4th Pennsylvania from Porto Rico.
View looking east from City Hall showing the Fourth Pennsylvania Infantry standing in formation on the 1300 block of Market street during the celebration commemorating the end of the Spanish American War in 1898. Spectators crowd the sidewalks and flags and bunting adorn the businesses, including John Wanamaker's department store, completed in 1876 after the designs of Theophilius P. Chandler (1300-1326 Market)., Additional places of publication printed on mount, including Chicago; London; Hamburg, Ger.; and Milan, Italy., Title printed on mount., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Distributor's imprint printed on mount., Buff curved mount with rounded corners., Griffith & Griffith, established in Philadelphia in 1896, expanded in 1908 to included offices in St. Louis and Liverpool. The non-Philadelphia offices were relocated in 1910., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Robert M. Vogel.
Absecom [sic] light house, from the Sand Hand Hills, N.J.
View showing a man leaning down to pick something up in the sand dunes in Atlantic City, with the Absecon Lighthouse in the background. The lighthouse, the tallest in New Jersey and the third tallest masonry lighthouse in the United States, was constructed 1854-1857 after designs by George Meade and deactivated in 1933., Title from label pasted on verso., Photographer's blind stamp on mount., Duplicate photograph, #67 entitled "Light house - Atlantic City," in Moran album, "Old Philadelphia Views, 1861." See albums - Moran [P.9265]., Creme mount with square corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Academy of Music, Philadelphia.
View of front facade of brick and sandstone Italianate style building. Architects Napoleon LeBrun and Gustav Runge formed a short-lived partnership to win design competition. Building constructed 1855-1857., Title from printed paper label., Yellow mount with square corners., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., Originally part of McAllister scrapbook of images relating to Philadelphia., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Academy of Music, side view.
View of front and partial side facade of brick and sandstone Italiantate style building. Architects Napoleon LeBrun and Gustav Runge formed a short lived partnership to win the design competition. Building constructed 1855-1857., Printed label on verso contains title, series title, photographer's imprint and a list of Philadelphia views offered by the firm., Pale green mount with rounded corners., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., Gift of Jane Carson James., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Admiring the flowers. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
View looking southwest showing a woman dressed in white, standing with a parasol and touching the flowers in a long, landscaped flower bed, also known as the "Sunken Gardens," built in front of Horticultural Hall (not pictured) for the Centennial Exhibition in 1876., Title printed on mount., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Buff curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[African American woman nursing a baby on a porch in the presence of a man.]
Stereograph depicting an African American mother seated on the porch steps and nursing her baby. The woman, wearing her hair tied up in braids and attired in a polka-dotted shirt and a checked skirt, cradles an infant on her lap as it suckles on her breast. Seated in the right, the African American man, attired in a hat, a long-sleeved white shirt, a ring, and pants, looks over at the mother and child. On the porch is a wooden chair beside the closed door., Title supplied by cataloger., Orange mount with rounded corners., Manuscript note on verso: Herr Klebenice?, Gift of David Long, 2002., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[After the fire of McKean, Newhall and Borie's Sugar Refinery on Lagrange Place.]
Depicts the crumbling remains of the former seven-story brick refinery on the 200 block of Lagrange Place (now Filbert Street) after a fire swept through the building on January 4, 1874. Chunks of the walls have fallen to the ground, most of the windows are gone and piles of bricks cover the ground inside and outside of the building., Photographer's imprint stamped on recto., Title supplied by cataloguer., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 65., Arcadia caption text: On the evening of January 4, 1874 fire swept through the north building of McKean, Newhall and Borie’s Sugar Refinery on Lagrange Place, between Second and Third streets south of Arch Street. For three hours firefighters fought the blaze from the roof of another structure on the property and kept the fire from spreading to the building where expensive equipment and a valuable stockpile of sugar were kept. The company, nevertheless, experienced a $200,000 loss from the fire. This refinery, one of thirteen in the city in 1870, helped make Philadelphia a leading sugar refining city in America in the late 19th century., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Agri. Hall, Main Avenue.
View showing a wide aisle with benches flanked by display cases exhibiting products from agricultural manufacturers, including the canned goods of Atmore & Son advertised by a cow on a pedestal, E.J. Larrabee & Co., and James Tufts in the Agricultural Building designed by James H. Windrim. Banners for Canada and Portugal are visible in the background. The fair celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title on negative., Photographer's imprint printed on mount and on verso. Imprint on verso contains initials "CPC" in decorative border surmounted by date range 1776-1876., White curved mount with rounded corners., Variant of Holstein stereo - P.2011.47.260., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Agricultural Hall.
Oblique view looking west at the south elevation of Agricultural Hall designed by James H. Windrim. Shows a line of spectators, some with parasols, sitting on benches and standing against a rail in the foreground. A horse hitched to a dray is visible in the background. The fair celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title on negative., Photographer's imprint printed on mount and on verso. Imprint on verso contains initials "CPC" in decorative border surmounted by date range 1776-1876., White curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Agricultural Hall.
Exterior view of Agricultural Hall behind wooden fence at Philadelphia's Centennial exhibition held in Fairmount Park. The view shows three large entryways dwarfed by steeply pitched roofs and flanking towers., Paper label on verso lists twenty-eight other titles in the series., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[Agricultural Hall, Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia]
Exterior view of Agricultural Hall designed by James H. Windrim for the Centennial fair, which celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Gray mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Ag[ricultural] Hall, the fountain.
Interior view of Agricultural Hall dominated by a large, multi-tiered fountain topped by a sculptural figure. Steeply pitched truss arches soar above the exhibitions. Agricultural Hall was built for the Centennial exhibition held in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park., Title from manuscript note on verso., Orange mount with rounded corners., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Wissahickon Creek at Log Cabin Bridge.
Landscape view of a man standing on the Old Log Cabin Bridge on the tree-lined Wissahickon Creek. Bridge named after the nearby Old Log Cabin Hostlery at Lincoln Drive above Gypsy Lane., Title from manuscript note on verso., Photographer's imprint in red text on mount., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
The Allegheny Tunnel, at the Summit.
View showing the portal of the Pennsylvania Railroad Tunnel, completed in 1854, running beneath the summit of the Allegheny Mountains at Gallitzin, Pa. Includes passengers waiting at the train station near a stopped locomotive and a sign post advertising the Gallitzin House hotel. In the far background, the borough is visible above the tunnel., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Title printed on the mount., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Alloway Kirk
Shows the ruins of the church built in 1516 in Alloway, Scotland. Also shows a boy sitting in the church graveyard. Site served as the setting for Scotch poet Robert Burns's poem "Tam O'Shanter" (circa 1790) and as the burial ground of Burns's father., Title and photographer from accompanying label., Buff paper mount with square corners., Paper backing pasted on verso., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of views of different countries., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Almost there. -- Lizzie Bourn's [sic] monument
View of a monument adjacent to the Mount Washington Cog Railway. The monument, constructed of rocks and a marker, memorializes Lizzie Bourne, a 23 year-old hiker, who died September 14, 1853 while attempting to ascend Mount Washington. The railway organized and directed by Sylvester Marsh was completed in 1869. Shows a man sitting on the tracks directly opposite the monument., Photographer's imprint printed on verso., Negative number printed on mount: No. 112., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of American Views., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Kilburn Brothers, was a partnership between brothers Benjamin West Kilburn and Edward Kilburn from 1865 to 1877.
American elk, (cervus canadensis.)
Depicts an elk in his holding area at the Philadelphia zoo., Title from manuscript note on verso., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Stamped on verso: surplus duplicate from the LIbrary of Congress, Division of Prints., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
American elk, (cervus canadensis.)
Depicts an elk in his holding area at the Philadelphia zoo., Title from manuscript note on verso., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Stamped on verso: surplus duplicate from the Library of Congress, Division of Prints., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
American Fall from Canada.
Landscape view of American Falls, one of three falls that form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the border of the United States and Canada., Title printed on mount below image., Manuscript note on verso: Thanks Marie I enjoyed the book. Chris., Orange mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
American Fall from Luna Island.
Winter view of American Falls from Luna Island, one of three falls that form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the border of the United States and Canada. A tree covered in thick icicles frames the view of the falls in the foreground., Title and photographer's imprint on mount., Manuscript note on verso: Muschamp, No. 25., Distributor's label pasted on verso: James Cremer, publisher of stereoscopic views, 18 South Eighth St., Philadelphia. Stereoscopes and views, wholesale and retail., Orange mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Mr. Saul Koltnow., George Barker was a prolific New York stereographer in the 1860s whose gallery catered to the tourist trade in Niagara Falls.
American Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. S.E. corner Fourth and Walnut Street.
Exterior view showing the company's central office building, known as the American Building. A large clock hangs from the corner of the building. Incorporated in 1850, the company was formed in part to further the cause of temperance by offering considerable discounts on life insurance products to signers of the total abstinence pledge. Company occupied this building from 1854 to 1888., Pale green mount with square corners., Title from advertising text printed on verso., Text on verso lists Alexander Whillden as president and John S. Wilson as secretary of the company. These men served together from 1862 to 1872., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
American Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. S.E. corner Fourth and Walnut Street.
View from the northwest showing the south side of the 300 block of Walnut Street including the company's central office building, known as the American Building. A large clock hangs from the corner of the building. Incorporated in 1850, the company was formed in part to further the cause of temperance by offering considerable discounts on life insurance products to signers of the total abstinence pledge. Company occupied this building from 1854 to 1888., Pale green mount with square corners., Title from advertising text printed on verso., Text on verso lists Alexander Whillden as president and John S. Wilson as secretary of the company. These men served together from 1862 to 1872., Gift of Robert M. Vogel., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
The American Volunteer.
Views showing a large granite statue, "The American Soldier," designed for the Antietam Soldiers' Monument by the New England Granite Company from Hartford, Connecticut. Also shows a man standing on the pedestal next to the soldier at rest. Monument located in front of the north entrance of the Main Building. The fair celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title on negatives., Photographer's imprint printed on mounts and on versos. Imprint on versos contains initials "CPC" in decorative border surmounted by date range 1776-1876., White curved mounts with rounded corners., One print [P.9047.172] gift of Robert M. Vogel., One print [P.2011.47.240] gift of Raymond Holstein., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Ancient shield, property of Jos. Harrison, Phila.
View of an ancient shield owned by wealthy machinist and engineer Joseph Harrison, Jr., Attributed to John Moran., Title from manuscript note on verso., Creme mount with square corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
And he owes not any man.
Depicts a white man blacksmith standing near a seated African American boy in the artisan's cluttered shop. The blacksmith, wearing a beard and attired in a collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, an apron, pants, and shoes, puts his right hand on his hip and holds a tool in his left hand as he looks directly at the viewer. In the right, an African American boy, attired in a long-sleeved plaid shirt, a vest, pants, socks, and shoes, sits on a barrel and holds a fan made of animal hair. Surrounding them tools, horseshoes, a large wheel, and barrels are visible., Title from item., Pink mount with rounded corners., Imprint printed on mount: Sold by Universal View Co. Philadelphia Pa. Lawrence Kan., Gift of David Long, 2002., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Anniversary designs. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
View showing a flower bed in the foreground, also known as the "Sunken Gardens," and behind it, the year 1876 has been formed by flowers in front of Horticultural Hall, the Centennial exhibition hall built in 1875 after designs by Hermann J. Schwarzmann in West Fairmount Park. Building demolished in 1955 even though the 383' long, 193' wide building was supposed to remain a permanent botanical conservatory, showcasing exotic plant species and Victorian gardens., Title printed on mount., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Buff curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Apples. Two for 5 cts. sir.
Genre photograph showing a young woman trying to sell apples to a man seated with a newspaper in his lap., Title from photographer's manuscript note on verso., Photographer's imprint on mount., Buff mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Ms. Jane Carson James.
Approach to Lemon Hill mansion.
View showing marble stairs ascending from tree-lined paths in Fairmount Park east of the Lemon Hill estate. Men and boys stand around a stone fountain at the base of the stairs., Title from manuscript note on mount., Orange curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Ms. Jane Carson James.
Arch at Fairmount
View looking west through the observatory tower arch at the basin of the Fairmount Water Works on the Schuylkill River. Shows the terrace of the new mill house built on the mound dam between 1859 and 1862 after the designs of Philadelphia engineer Henry P.M. Birkinbine. Also shows the pavilion on the pier of the mound dam; a man standing on a promenade in the foreground; and wood planks, pipes, and buckets laying on the terrace, which was modified between 1867 and 1872. The waterworks, originally built between 1812 and 1822 after the designs of Philadelphia engineer Frederick Graff, were altered and expanded after the designs of Philadelphia engineers, Birkinbine and Frederick Graff, Jr., until 1872., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Title and series number inscribed in negative., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Purviance was commissioned as an official photographer for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1867.
Arch St. Theatre, above 6th St., Phila.
Shows the theater built 1826-28 after the designs of Philadelphia architect William Strickland at 609-615 Arch Street. Also shows two women and a man posed in front of the building; a playbill on display; street lamps; and adjacent businesses, including Christian Bird's Billiard Hall., Title from manuscript note on mount of (8)1322.F.5d., Orange and yellow paper mounts with square corners., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited., One of images originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of views of Philadelphia., Manuscript note on mount of 7992.F.1: Arch St. Theatre, Philadelphia., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[Arch Street, 600 block, Philadelphia]
View looking west from above Sixth Street showing showing the 600 block of Arch Street. Businesses include fur dealers, and Vito Viti & Sons, marble importers at 639 Arch Street., Buff mount with rounded corners., Manuscript note on mount: Old Arch St. Phila., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[Arch Street looking east from below Seventh Street, Philadelphia]
View showing the north side of the 600-700 blocks of Arch Street. Businesses include: M.A. Shaw, china and glassware dealer (7th and Arch) and Fuchs and Kraupa, window shade dealers (639 Arch). Pedestrians walk the sidewalks and horse-drawn carts and drays travel down the street. Also shows signage advertising John Fareira Fur Store (718 Arch) in the lower right corner of the image, Attributed to Robert Newell., Title supplied by cataloguer., Yellow mount with square corners., Manuscript note on verso: Arch St. Philada., Gift of Ivan Noble., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Arch Street Opera House.
Exterior view of Italianate front facade of the Arch Street Opera House at 1003 Arch Street, constructed in 1870 after designs by Edwin Forrest Durang. A distinctive large wreathed lyre is visible above the heavy cornice. Large awnings provide shade to the two shops flanking the main entrance on the ground level. Includes partial views of adjacent commercial properties and a horse-drawn cart parked in the street in front of decorative light standards., Title from inscription on mount., Inscribed on mount: No. 167., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 18., Arcadia caption text: The Trocadero’s origins date back to 1870, when the Arch Street Opera House opened its doors as a minstrel theater. Designed by Edwin Forrest Durang at 1003 Arch Street, the theater burned down and was rebuilt or altered several times within the first two decades, at some point losing the free-standing wreathed lyre above the cornice shown here c. 1870. It operated under a succession of at least nine different names until settling on the Trocadero in 1896, at which time the stage mainly showcased burlesque and vaudeville groups. The Italianate style building, which originally housed retail stores in the two flanks, is the nation’s only 19th century Victorian theater left intact, thereby earning its place on the National Register of Historic Places., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Arch Street Theatre.
View of the north side of the 600 block of Arch Street, showing the Arch Street Theater built 1826-28 after the designs of Philadelphia architect William Strickland at 609-615 Arch Street. Also shows Bird's Billiard Hall operated by Christian Bird at 605-607 Arch Street. Includes two playbills on display in front of the theater, street lamps with large fixtures, an unhitched carriage on the sidewalk, and several horse-drawn carriages traveling along Arch Street., Title from photographer's label on verso. Also includes list of forty-one other titles in the series (No. 140-180)., Yellow mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
[Arch Street Theatre, 609-615 Arch Street, Philadelphia]
View showing the north side of the 600 block of Arch Street, including the remodeled Arch Street Theatre. The theater, built 1826-1828 after the designs of Philadelphia architect William Strickland, was altered in 1863, and razed in 1936. Also shows adjacent buildings, including: J.S. Collings & Sons, carriage and wagonmakers (625 Arch); Metropolitan Hotel (623 Arch); and S.W. Jacobs Carriage Warehouse (617 Arch). Street lamps line the sidewalk., Yellow mount with square corners., Title supplied by cataloguer., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Architectural model of City Hall, Philadelphia.
Views show an architectural model of City Hall designed by John McArthur, Jr. Features a dome instead of the tower that was eventually constructed. One view includes a model of Independence Hall to give a sense of proportion. City Hall built 1871-1901 on Penn Square., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint on mount., Yellow mounts with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Mr. Walter C. Brenner., From 1873 to 1875, Cremer documented the construction of Philadelphia's City Hall in a series of stereographs produced for the Commissioner for the Erection of the Public Building.

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