Our City, Our Architecture

One thing that brings me a lot of joy is walking around the city, enjoying my manageable commute, and taking different paths to get to my destination. I probably get lost a little, but I manage to find some really interesting, quirky, places.

If you have walked around Philadelphia to any extent, nobody needs to tell you that we have world class architecture (that much is obvious). You may have even noticed neighborhood to neighborhood there are subtle shifts in taste or style. However, there are some elements and building designs that can be seen all the way across the city.

I was recently talking with an architect and happened to ask him about his favorite designer in the city. As you can imagine, that seemed to be a loaded question. But, not too far from us was a house designed by Frank Furness, a victorian architect that mostly built in Philadelphia and designed more than 600 buildings, a lot which have been torn down.

To my amazement, one work I cross just about everyday on Broad St, the current Ritz Carlton!

It wasn’t until I looked up some of his other works that I picked up on his style despite sometimes working on very different buildings.

What I enjoy about his work is that he isn’t afraid to keep some elements in his toolbox. When I look at his works it seems like he distinctly gives the building what it needs without throwing the hole kitchen sink. Interestingly, even when he is managing a lot of distinct shapes, he is able to tie them together very cohesively.

I’m planning a deeper dive on this in the future, but for now it will remain just another thing I love about this city.

-Austin Church

Current PAFA Building