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The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a 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. The Athenaeum's collections include architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945. The institution focuses on the history of American architecture and building technology, and houses architectural archives of 180,000 drawings, 350,000+ photographs, and manuscript holdings of about 1,000 American architects.
The building is operated as a museum furnished with American fine and decorative arts from the first half of the nineteenth century, and is open to the public free of charge.
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976, [1][3] and was designed in 1845 by architect John Notman.
[edit] External Links
[edit] References
- ^ a b Athenaeum. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Carolyn Pitts (July 29, 1976), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Athenaeum of PhiladelphiaPDF (32 KB), National Park Service and Accompanying 6 photos, exterior and interior, from 1951, 1971, and undatedPDF (32 KB)
