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The Athenaeum of Philadelphia

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is a special collections library, archive and museum nestled in historic Philadelphia.

The Athenaeum is a member supported, not-for-profit, special collections library founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. Annually the Athenaeum's nationally significant collections attract thousands of readers: graduate students and senior scholars, architect

s, interior designers, museum curators, and private owners of historic buildings. It provides the Philadelphia region with a resource of first resort on matters of architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945. The Athenaeum building was designed in 1845 by the innovative architect John Notman (1810-1865). It is widely hailed as the seminal American structure in the Italianate Revival Style and one of the first Philadelphia buildings built of brownstone. Severely plain on the exterior and deceptive in scale, the Athenaeum building contains richly embellished reading rooms with 24-foot ceilings. Into these spaces has been gathered a museum collection of American fine and decorative arts from the period 1800 to 1850 which is available for group or individual tours by advance reservation. The building has been expanded and restored to provide appropriate facilities for the care and exhibition of the collections. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

Operating as usual

Timeline photos
12/21/2022

Timeline photos

Start your 2023 reading goals with an Athenaeum Book Club pick! All book clubs are free, open to anyone, and meet throug...
12/19/2022

Start your 2023 reading goals with an Athenaeum Book Club pick! All book clubs are free, open to anyone, and meet through Zoom!
http://ow.ly/yYfE50M4Av4

On December 5, 2022, The Athenaeum placed a time capsule under the front steps of the building while they were under rep...
12/15/2022

On December 5, 2022, The Athenaeum placed a time capsule under the front steps of the building while they were under repair. Inside we placed various collateral (bookmarks, rack cards, etc.) as well as letters from the staff and a few little surprises. Per the recommendation of the conservation team, the steps should need repair again in 30 years, but it could be much longer until it is found!

On this day in 1787 our beautiful state of Pennsylvania was founded!
12/12/2022

On this day in 1787 our beautiful state of Pennsylvania was founded!

Timeline photos
12/02/2022

Timeline photos

Our limited edition tote bags and mugs are the perfect gifts for the Athenaeum member, Philadelphia history enthusiast, ...
11/29/2022

Our limited edition tote bags and mugs are the perfect gifts for the Athenaeum member, Philadelphia history enthusiast, or book lover in your life. Stop by our Member Lounge to scoop them up before they're gone! Bags are $20 and mugs are $15, or save $5 by purchasing both! These make a great accompaniment to a gift membership. Head to our website http://ow.ly/605V50LLpva to explore our membership options.

Female Husbands: A Trans History with Jen ManionDecember 6 at 6:00pmThose assigned female who transed gender, lived as m...
11/28/2022
Female Husbands: A Trans History with Jen Manion

Female Husbands: A Trans History with Jen Manion
December 6 at 6:00pm
Those assigned female who transed gender, lived as men, and married women in the 18th and 19th century US and UK were described as female husbands. They persisted in living as men despite tremendous risk, violence, and punishment. When husbands were outed as being assigned female, the press reported such accounts enthusiastically and frequently, exposing dynamic, contested, and varied stories of love, courage, and loss. This talk explores what female husbands teach us about trans expressions, experiences, and rights then and now.
http://ow.ly/M6qw50LL4CJ

Female Husbands: A Trans History was written by Jen Manion and published by Cambridge University Press in February 2020.

In-person lectures are back at The Athenaeum! Mac Griswold will join us to discuss her new book on the great landscape a...
11/26/2022

In-person lectures are back at The Athenaeum! Mac Griswold will join us to discuss her new book on the great landscape architect and interior designer Bunny Mellon.
RSVP: http://ow.ly/r5aH50LF8yZ

Looking for a gift for someone who has everything? Give the gift of an Athenaeum Membership! Prices start at just $35 fo...
11/25/2022

Looking for a gift for someone who has everything? Give the gift of an Athenaeum Membership! Prices start at just $35 for an annual membership that includes the use of our workspaces, access to our circulating library, and free/discounted tickets to programs. Head to our website http://ow.ly/EqE550LLp6U to explore our membership options and click "Is this a gift?" at checkout to fill out the lucky recipient's information!

If you plan to visit in the coming days...
11/20/2022

If you plan to visit in the coming days...

11/19/2022
In-person lectures are back at The Athenaeum! Mac Griswold will join us to discuss her new book on the great landscape a...
11/18/2022

In-person lectures are back at The Athenaeum! Mac Griswold will join us to discuss her new book on the great landscape architect and interior designer Bunny Mellon.
RSVP: http://ow.ly/r5aH50LF8yZ

Did you hear? We are OPEN! Tonight is our first Monday with extended hours. We are here until 7pm!Photo from KieranTimbe...
11/14/2022

Did you hear? We are OPEN! Tonight is our first Monday with extended hours. We are here until 7pm!
Photo from KieranTimberlake

It is our first Saturday open! Stop by between 10am-3pm to see our renovations and exhibition "Rhythm and Meaning: Henri...
11/12/2022

It is our first Saturday open! Stop by between 10am-3pm to see our renovations and exhibition "Rhythm and Meaning: Henri Matisse's Jazz".
**Due to the scaffolding still on the front of the building, please enter through the BACK door off of St James Street (go through the parking lot and up the ramp)

We. Are. OPEN! Here are our hours for our first week open.
11/07/2022

We. Are. OPEN! Here are our hours for our first week open.

Tomorrow…
11/06/2022

Tomorrow…

Here is your sneak peek at the furniture going into the members’ lounge this week.
11/01/2022

Here is your sneak peek at the furniture going into the members’ lounge this week.

👋📣Have you heard? The Athenaeum reopens on November 7th! Here are our hours for the first week open. Regular hours after...
10/28/2022

👋📣Have you heard? The Athenaeum reopens on November 7th! Here are our hours for the first week open. Regular hours after that!

A Renovation Celebration is on November 9th! Join your Athenaeum Friends and Neighbors for an evening of art, music, boo...
10/25/2022

A Renovation Celebration is on November 9th! Join your Athenaeum Friends and Neighbors for an evening of art, music, books and drinks!
http://ow.ly/y9wm50Lfumy

Happy Birthday to architect Paul Philippe Cret, born on this day in 1876. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia holds records fo...
10/23/2022

Happy Birthday to architect Paul Philippe Cret, born on this day in 1876. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia holds records for over 300 of Cret's projects, including drawings of the original Barnes Foundation building in Merion.

Sending our love to ALL Philadelphia sports teams making our city proud these past few weeks!Postcard showing aerial vie...
10/20/2022

Sending our love to ALL Philadelphia sports teams making our city proud these past few weeks!

Postcard showing aerial view of J. F. K. Stadium, The Spectrum, Veterans Stadium, Burd, Frank, Photographer, Irvin R. Glazer Theater Collection

Thank you for the kind birthday wishes! Thanks to you we won’t look a day over 125!
10/18/2022

Thank you for the kind birthday wishes! Thanks to you we won’t look a day over 125!

As part of a small but committed staff, the part-time Librarian is responsible for the circulating library during our we...
10/17/2022

As part of a small but committed staff, the part-time Librarian is responsible for the circulating library during our weekend and evening hours. We are looking for candidates who enjoy working with people and books. This is a wonderful entry-level opportunity for MLS graduates or those at the end of their MLS degree programs!
http://ow.ly/nV6050L6nAr

Address

219 S 6th Street
Philadelphia, PA
19106

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5:15pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

(215) 925-2688

Website

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Library renovations are underway at the Athenaeum!

Gallery renovations are underway!

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Mission and History

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is an independent member-supported library and museum that engages members, scholars and the interested general public to join actively in the cultural and intellectual life of Philadelphia and participate in historical, literary and educational activities. To that end, the Athenaeum must be a diligent steward of its National Historic Landmark building and its collections of books, manuscripts, architectural drawings, photographs, and historic objects.

The Athenaeum was founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. Annually the Athenaeum's nationally significant collections attract thousands of readers: graduate students and senior scholars, architects, interior designers, museum curators, and private owners of historic buildings. It provides the Philadelphia region with a resource of first resort on matters of architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945.

The Athenaeum building was designed in 1845 by the innovative architect John Notman (1810-1865). It is widely hailed as the seminal American structure in the Italianate Revival Style and one of the first Philadelphia buildings built of brownstone. Severely plain on the exterior and deceptive in scale, the Athenaeum building contains richly embellished reading rooms with 24-foot ceilings. Into these spaces has been gathered a museum collection of American fine and decorative arts from the period 1800 to 1850 which is available for group or individual tours by advance reservation. The building has been expanded and restored to provide appropriate facilities for the care and exhibition of the collections. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

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TOMORROW: Author Howard Gillette, Jr. will discuss his new book THE PARADOX OF URBAN REVITALIZATION in a virtual talk hosted by The Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Thursday 12/8 at 12 p.m. ET. Register now: http://ow.ly/LrAb50LWVB8
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Charles E. Peterson Prize Competition!

A ceremony was held at the recent Association for Preservation Technology Conference in Detroit, to present the 2022 Charles E. Peterson Prize Competition winners with their certificates and prize money. A student competition of measured drawings, the Peterson Prize is presented jointly by the Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, The American Institute of Architects, and the APT - The Association for Preservation Technology. The annual competition, currently in its 39th year, honors Charles E. Peterson, FAIA (1906-2004), a founder of the HABS program, and is intended to heighten awareness about historic buildings in the United States and to augment the HABS/HAER/HALS collection of measured drawings at The Library of Congress. HDP was represented at the ceremony by Catherine Lavoie, Chief of the HABS program; and by Mark Schara, AIA, HABS Architect and Peterson Prize Coordinator.

LEARN MORE
Visit the Peterson Prize Winners webpage at https://www.nps.gov/hdp/competitions/peterson_winners.htm

Read about how to participate in the Peterson Prize Competition at https://www.nps.gov/hdp/competitions/peterson.htm

The Consulate General of Italy in Philadelphia, in collaboration with PI-Philly, Professionisti Italiani a Philadelphia, invites you to a talk, part of the Speaker Series at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and of the “MFA gender champions” initiative launched by Italy’s Foreign Affairs Ministry:

WOMEN PIONEERING ARCHITECTURE: THE FIRST ITALIAN ARCHITECTS PLAUTILLA BRICCI AND ELENA LUZZATO

Q&A section will follow.
This is a free, IN-PERSON event.

WHEN⏰: Saturday, November 12, 2022 | 10:30 AM EST TIME

WHERE📍: The Athenaeum of Philadelphia 219 6th Street (Washington Square), Philadelphia, PA 19106

Registration is required, send an email to [email protected] to RSVP or call the number 215-925-2688.
Limited capacity: 75 people
(mask is recommended)

Prof. Consuelo Lollobrigida is a Ph.D and art historian at the University of Arkansas, Rome Program. Her lecture will be set on exploring the history of women artists in the modern times and their importance in architecture.
This dreary Monday has us recalling the sunnier days last month when our brass and percussion ensemble performed at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia's 2nd Annual Sunday in the Square. It was awesome to see our Teaching Artists and students perform together for the Philly community! Here's a snippet of Maestro Andrés González leading the brass ensemble in their performance of La Mourisque by Tylman Susato, Arranged by John Iveson.

Today we’d like to celebrate the demi-semi-sept-centennial (175th) Birthday of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia at 219 S 6th Street! Located right in the heart of Washington Square, the Athenaeum was designed by architect John Notman in the Italianate Renaissance Revival style. Premier is grateful to continue exterior repairs with Kreilick Conservation, LLC at this historic property.

Our scope of work includes historic stucco restoration, brownstone restoration including lime mortar repointing, patch repair using 10 custom colors, and stone replacement. Make sure to stop by and check out their extensive library and historic archive collections when doors reopen on November 7th.

Bruce Laverty's talk on the The Athenaeum of Philadelphia's theater collection is now online, for free!
Congratulations to all the winners!

The Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Charles E. Peterson Prize Competition. A student competition of measured drawings, the Charles E. Peterson Prize is presented jointly by HDP, byThe Athenaeum of Philadelphia, by The American Institute of Architects, and by the APT - The Association for Preservation Technology International. The annual competition, currently in its 39th year, honors Charles E. Peterson, (1906-2004), a founder of the HABS program, and is intended to heighten awareness about historic buildings in the United States and to augment the HABS/HAER/HALS collection of measured drawings at The Library of Congress. In addition to generating over 7,100 sheets of drawings for the collection to date, the competition presents awards totaling $10,000 to the winning student teams.

First Place in the 2022 Competition was awarded to the student team from the UTSA - The University of Texas at San Antonio, under the direction of Professor Sue Ann Pemberton, FAIA, , for their documentation of the Dining Room at Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesen West in Scottsdale, Arizona. The student team at Ball State University, under the direction of Professor Jonathan Spodek, FAIA, was awarded Second Place for their drawings of the Interurban Bridge at Oldfields-Lilly House And Gardens At Indianapolis Museum Of Art in Indianapolis. Third Place was awarded to the student team from Georgia State University, under the direction of Professor Chad Keller, for their drawings of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Greensboro, Georgia. The set of drawings of William Wesley Peter’s Conference Room at Taliesin West, produced by another UTSA student team under the direction of Professor Pemberton, was awarded an Honorable Mention.

A list of the student members for the winning teams can be found on the Heritage Documentation Programs, NPS website at
https://www.nps.gov/hdp/competitions/Peterson_winners.htm.

The student teams will be honored in a ceremony held as part of the Association for Preservation Technology Conference in Detroit on 10 November.

LEARN MORE
Discover how you can participate in the Peterson Prize at https://www.nps.gov/hdp/competitions/peterson.htm

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Our percussion and brass students and Teaching Artists had a blast performing at their FIRST community concert of the season this past weekend as part of The Athenaeum of Philadelphia 's 2nd Annual Sunday in the Square. Our percussion and brass ensembles performed at Washington Square Park in a musical line up that included mezzo-soprano Chrystal Williams, the U.S. Army Band Saxophone Quartet, and more! It was wonderful to see the musical community of Philadelphia come together on a sunny afternoon 🌞.

Thanks to everyone who attended and showed their POP pride!

Libraries and Liberty: The Writerly Voice with Kelsey Scouten Bates begins September 29th! RSVP now to secure a spot in this fall course, hosted by The Rosenbach The Library Company of Philadelphia and The Athenaeum of Philadelphia Register here: http://ow.ly/NJ6s50Kl3F4
Don't forget to tune in at 12pm ET for as Conservancy President Susan Gibbs joins The Athenaeum of Philadelphia for a special FREE virtual discussion about the SS United States.
Remembering Jerome on the date of his passing with a self-portrait. Grateful to The Athenaeum of Philadelphia for the recognition of his work and for the special events held over the past year to introduce his images to a broad audience.
Libraries and Liberty: The Writerly Voice with Kelsey Scouten Bates begins September 29th! RSVP now to secure a spot in this fall course, hosted by The Rosenbach The Library Company of Philadelphia and The Athenaeum of Philadelphia Register here: http://ow.ly/NJ6s50Kl3F4
This was my very first 80+ hour colored pencil drawing of the view from Memorial Hill at Amherst College. I made it my mission to find the best digital scanner and printing businesses in Philadelphia (shoutout to The Athenaeum of Philadelphia and Fireball Printing -- this may be a bold claim, but they really are the best!), and I made high quality prints, posters, stickers, and other fun items on-demand. I consider this my first big project as a full-time artist.

You can check out what's for sale at colorsofaflower.etsy.com -- there are more items coming soon, so stay tuned!

The drawing is based off of a photo used with permission of the very talented photographer, Matthew Chow '18.
Happening this Friday, September 16 at 12pm ET - The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is hosting a "Hidden History" conversation with Conservancy President Susan Gibbs. You can register for this FREE, virtual event at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ss-united-states-the-hidden-history-of-americas-enduring-flagship-tickets-388099354617.
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia is hosting a FREE virtual event with Conservancy President Susan Gibbs on Friday, September 16 at 12pm ET. Covering the history of the SS United States, and William Francis Gibbs' connections to the City of Brotherly Love, it is sure to be a fun and informative conversation. To register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ss-united-states-the-hidden-history-of-americas-enduring-flagship-tickets-388099354617.
The The Athenaeum of Philadelphia has a wonderful collection about Philadelphia movie theaters (and to which we have donated items) so you may be interested in this free online Aug 23 event!
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