Views of construction of New City Building, Philadelphia, John McArthur, Jr., architect.
Title
Views of construction of New City Building, Philadelphia, John McArthur, Jr., architect
Description
Progress photographs of the early construction of City Hall built 1871-1901 on Penn Square after the designs of John McArthur, Jr. Photographs show different stages of the construction of the foundation and lower floor of the building between 1873 and 1875. Includes images of the dirt sub-basement; construction materials, equipment, and workers; and partially completed walls and abutments. Several of the views include scaffolding; horse-drawn carts; pulleys; piles of construction debris; and workers and well-dressed men, probably the commissioners, reviewing and posed on or near constructed parts of the building and construction materials. Views also show surrounding cityscape, including the west and south elevations of Masonic Temple (Broad and Filbert); the Pennsylvania Railroad freight depot (13th and Market); the towers of the gothic-style St. John the Evangelist Church (23-25 South 13th); West Penn Square Academy (s.w. corner of Market and Merrick); the spire of the Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church (s.w. corner Broad and Arch); La Salle College High School (n.e. corner Broad and Filbert); and dwellings facing Penn Square. Also shows broadsides posted to the fence surrounding the construction site advertising Pugh & Creauthers furniture manufacturers and dealers (228 So. 2nd St.); Fox's New American Theatre; Arion Pianos (1308 Chestnut); and Secor Sewing Machines (Eighth and Walnut)., Six are from the Views of construction in sub-basement series and eight are from the Views of construction series., Series titled "Views of construction in sub-basement" (P.9840.3-7) copyrighted 1873 by James Cremer., Photographer's imprint on mounts., Dates on versos., Printed text on versos list names of architects and the Board of Commissioners., Yellow mounts with rounded corners., See also albums - Cremer [(1)23455.D and (2)23455.D], Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., 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.
Creator
Cremer, James, 1821-1893
Date
December 1873-September 1875
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Cremer - Construction [P.9006.1-8; P.9079.5; P.9840.3-7]