Contact:
Dominic Mercier, Communications Director, AIA Philadelphia
(t) 215.569.3186, (m) 215.876.7781

CENTER FOR ARCHITECTURE PRESENTS BUILDING 10-PART LECTURE SERIES

PHILADELPHIA (March 5, 2009) - Philadelphia’s Center for Architecture presents a new lecture series on everything you always wanted to know about Philadelphia architecture and city planning, but were afraid to ask.

Tour guides from the Center’s Modern Metropolis walking tour are frequently asked questions such as:

- Why are streets in Philadelphia so narrow?
- Why are there so many abandoned buildings in Philadelphia?
- Why are architects from around the world crazy about the PSFS building?
- What makes City Hall unique among municipal buildings in the United States?
- What sections of the city were considered to be early suburbs?

This engaging series is held on Tuesday evenings for 10 weeks starting April 7, 2009 and ending June 9, 2009. Lectures are held in the Center for Architecture at 1218 Arch Street from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost is $250 for non-members; $200.00 for members of AIA Philadelphia, the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks; and $100 for those under 35.

Building Philadelphia answers these questions and many more. A broad range of topics relating to Philadelphia's three hundred years of architecture, urban planning, and political/social history are explored in the series. The series begins with William Penn’s original vision for Philadelphia, while subsequent presentations cover three centuries of American architecture as represented in this city. Not only will movements and styles of architecture be discussed, but also important city plans and the influences of social and economic events relating to the architecture of Philadelphia.

Lectures are given by a selection of architects, urban planners, art historians and social historians from local universities and architecture firms. Topics include Penn’s Plan, Georgian & Federal Architecture, Early Victorian Architecture, the Post-Civil War Era, Archaeology, Preservation in Philadelphia, The Benjamin Franklin Parkway & Society Hill, Skyscrapers, Modernism in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia in the 21st Century.

The course is open to all and is also a prerequisite for those wishing to train as tour guides for the Center for Architecture and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, new sponsor of the former Landmarks Tours. Participants are a lively and diverse group from a wide range of backgrounds and professions, from architecture enthusiasts to design professionals, and lay people to business people. Individuals who complete the full series are invited to apply to become volunteer tour guides at both the Center for Architecture and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

Building Philadelphia is the new name for the Philadelphia Architecture lecture series, which originated at the Foundation for Architecture in 1986. Last presented by the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, this series has introduced hundreds to the story of Philadelphia and its architecture. The Center aims to continue the tradition of this essential educational program.

The Center for Architecture performs the charitable and educational work of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects and serves as the physical home for the Chapter in Center City Philadelphia. The Center for Architecture was envisioned with three core principles in mind: Public Engagement, Collaboration and Design Excellence. The Center is an exhibition gallery, studio, museum, interpretive laboratory, tourist destination, reception hall, and classroom. The Center is also home to the AIA bookstore & Design Center and the Community Design Collaborative.