HOUSES OF PHILADELPHIA (2008)

Houses of Philadelphia: Chestnut Hill and the Wissahickon Valley, 1880-1930 by James B. Garrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love interlibrary loan, where your local library can pretty much get you anything in book form you desire. Rather than a Philadelphia library, my request brought me a copy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!

And I was worthy. I read the whole book. Of course, it was primarily photographs and floor plans of incredibly elaborate architectural extravaganzas but they were accompanied by stories and biographical data about the people who built these mansions in Chestnut Hill and the Wissahickon Valley.

Growing up nearby, I was always fascinated by the incredible homes that were so different from the row houses of the city. The sad part was the author's recounting of the fate of the individual buildings. Some are nursing homes, some were divided into condos, and some are gone. In the near future, I plan a trip to Philadelphia to visit the area and once again marvel at these beautiful edifices of yesterday.

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