Some more thoughts on Philadelphia. This is a city that moves at a different pace from Chicago. The streets are manageable. Some are quite narrow. We Chicagoans would consider them an alley. But I soon realized that this was the footprint of the original town. It is still there. And it’s a great feeling. So I walked slowly feeling the history. This is quite different from Chicago. We are a brash city always on the move trying to impress ourselves and every one else.
I enjoyed it. Philadelphians have kept a lot of their older buildings. Not just the touristy ones, Independence Hall etc, but whole neighborhoods. Still, downtown there is a pleasant mixture of 1880 buildings along side 1920 buildings…..comforting.
A Chicago Connection —
I mentioned architect, Frank Furness in my last blog and posted a picture of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art designed by him. Louis Sullivan worked for Furness after completely school and mentioned him frequently in his writings. His style of ornamentation had a great influence on Sullivan. Here are some other photos of the Philadelphia Academy.
