Traveler: Evan Markley
Destination: East Falls, Philadelphia

While visiting a friend in East Falls, Philadelphia, Evan explored the nearby Laurel Hill Cemetery, one of the nation’s first ‘rural cemeteries,’ before venturing deeper into the city to enjoy an eclectic array of architectural treasures.

My trip to Philadelphia was initially planned around joining an old friend for a concert at the Mann Center. The thing is, this was no ordinary old friend, this was an architecture school old friend, and as I had predicted (and hoped), the trip turned out to be a crash course in Philadelphia architecture (with a side of concert and a dash of cannoli thrown in for good measure).

My first taste of Philadelphia architecture was 30^th Street Station, where I arrived on a quick train from the airport. Even the scaffolding inside could not hide the grandeur of the main concourse, pictured above.

Walking outside, I enjoyed the slight shift from the Art Deco interior to the pared back Classical porches.

The next morning, we started with the main event of our architectural adventure: Laurel Hill Cemetery in East Falls, just a mile from my friend’s rowhome. Laurel Hill is the second oldest example of ‘rural’ or ‘garden’ cemetery design in the United States, having been founded in 1836. Above is pictured the original gatehouse, as seen from within its central arch, and then from within the cemetery looking back.

The cemetery is host to a vast array of architectural gems, everywhere the eye can look.

After winding through the rows of headstones, monuments, and mausoleums, we came to the edge of the cemetery on the bluffs overlooking the beautiful Schuylkill River, pictured above.

Near the bluffs was a pergola composed of stone and painted metal. If you zoom in, you can see the tiniest of scrolls on the ends of the angled metal rafters.

Various architectural languages from across the globe were represented in the cemetery, such as the Moorish and Egyptian mausoleums pictured above.

The mausoleums showcased many beautiful doors; I was especially drawn to the patinaed metal doors above.

Some graves featured sculptural depictions of their namesakes.

Many mausoleums incorporated sculptural elements in the architecture, such as the winged hourglass in the pediment above left, or the angelic figures surrounding the door above right.

Several motifs were repeated throughout the cemetery. One I was not familiar with was the inverted torch, as pictured above. I have come to learn that when a torch is shown inverted, but still burning, it symbolizes the soul continuing to exist beyond death.

On a more architectural note, I enjoyed seeing multiple instances of entablatures with their architraves interrupted to make room for a name above the entry.

After sweating through our shirts at Laurel Hill, we headed for a quick driving tour of some more Philly neighborhoods. Above is a group of handsome rowhomes at the southwest corner of Rittenhouse Square.

Above is a shot of the General Galusha Pennypacker Memorial in front of the Family Court Building. The Family Court Building is a twin with the adjacent Parkway Central Library, and the two buildings are modeled after the Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde in Paris. If you thought I was going to just blow past the name ‘Galusha Pennypacker,’ you are absolutely wrong. What a name.

Just around the corner from Gen. Pennypacker is the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, whose façade and dome were designed by John Notman, the same architect who completed the design for Laurel Hill Cemetery. Legend holds that after anti-Catholic rioters destroyed some of the property during construction, the bishop asked the strongest worker on site to throw a stone as high as he could; the bishop then instructed the architects to place the windows as high as the throw.

The U.S. Custom House in Old City is a wonderful example of Art Deco design with Classical influence. I especially enjoy the guttae-like pieces above the fluted piers, evoking the Doric Order.

On the opposite corner of Chestnut Street from the U.S. Custom House is the Corn Exchange National Bank building. While I did not observe any corn in the vicinity, I did marvel at this tour de force in brick and stone.

Philadelphia was such a wonderful treasure trove of architectural jewels. From beautiful final resting places overlooking the Schuylkill River, to the diverse array of buildings throughout the city’s many neighborhoods, Philly has something for every architect or architectural enthusiast to enjoy. But if you’re not that into architecture, that’s okay – they also have cannoli! We chowed down on these hand-crafted delights at Rim Café in South Philly to conclude our tour around the city and I can’t think of a better way to wrap up such a splendid concert-weekend-turned-architectural-expedition. Until next time, Philly!