Things to do / Travel Guide
The architecture of eastern Pennsylvania is a reflection of its Colonial origins. For instance, you can still find stone farmhouses built by English Quaker settlers in the late-1600s throughout the rolling countryside. Additionally, charming small towns offer fine examples of well-preserved Colonial and Victorian homes.
The region's natural network of winding rivers gave rise to many bridges, including the famous covered bridges. Furthermore, the rich era of railway travel left behind interesting train depots, many in the Victorian style in the region. The well-preserved historical buildings of Philadelphia reflect English, French, Georgian, Federal, and Colonial architectural styles. Over 2,000 buildings from the 18th century have been preserved, while many thousands more dating from the 19th century are still in daily use.
Philadelphia
In 1776, Philadelphia was a cultural, intellectual, and commercial center of the 13 Colonies, and the city's architecture portrays this rich heritage. The public and private buildings of historical Philadelphia offer many centrally-located architectural treasures.
Independence Hall - This Georgian-style building, which broke ground in 1732 but wasn't completed until 1753, has undergone many facelifts over the years. It has now been restored to its original 1776 appearance. The U.S. Constitution was signed in this building, which you may recognize from the backside of half dollars minted in 1975 and 1976.
Carpenter's Hall - This hall was built in 1770 by the Carpenters' Company, a guild founded in 1724 to help its members develop architectural skills. This Georgian-style structure is where the First Continental Congress met in 1774.
The Philadelphia Merchant's Exchange, built in 1834 and still in daily use, and the Second Bank of the U.S., built in the early 1820s, are masterpieces of the Greek Revival style. The bank building, with its distinct columns, was modeled after the Parthenon, in Athens, and was formerly the Old Customs House.
Stenton - A private mansion built in the 1720s by James Logan, a prominent Quaker, Stenton is one of the earliest and finest examples of Georgian architecture. A tour of this family estate will give you an authentic taste of what it was like to live in the late 18th century. Of special interest is its Colonial Revival garden.
The best known example of modern architecture in eastern Pennsylvania can be found in Philadelphia's Guild Hall. Guild Hall has been called a “glorification of the TV antenna” because the entry façade of the building was topped off with a golden replica of a television antenna. Designed by Princeton-educated architect, Robert Venturi, and completed in 1961, Guild House is an architectural masterpiece that “symbolizes the ordinary.”
Lancaster County
In New Hope you can see some fine examples of Second Empire French Victorian buildings, such as the Mansion Inn. While you're antiquing or on a walking tour from New Hope to Lahaska, be on the lookout for Colonial farmhouses, barns, and covered bridges.
Lehigh and Berks Counties
Around Fogelsville you will find picturesque stone- and German-style bank barns painted with “sun wheel” hex signs. These colorful signs have been painted on the barns by the Pennsylvania Dutch since their arrival in the New World. They are believed to bestow fertility, strength, and luck on the owners. These designs reflect the superstitious beliefs of the early settlers, and are still maintained today out of a sense of tradition.
Bucks County
Pennsylvania has more covered bridges than any other state in the U.S. These architectural oddities were originally designed to protect wooden bridges from the harsh weather. The first known covered bridge in the United States was built in Philadelphia in 1805. At one time in the 1800s, Pennsylvania had about 1,500 covered bridges. Today there are still about a dozen of these unique beautiful covered bridges scattered throughout Bucks County.
The oldest bridges date back to 1832. Near Hinkletown, there is Loux Bridge, which goes over Cabin Run Creek and has been standing intact since 1874. The longest covered bridge is Frankenfield Covered Bridge, which spans over Tinicum Creek just upstream of where it pours into the Delaware River. In 1942, artist Robert J. McClellan painted the covered bridge in Pine Valley, which crosses Pine Run Creek. Finally, Solebury Township is home to the Van Sant Covered Bridge, which spans Pidcock Creek.
Princeton, New Jersey
The college town of Princeton, New Jersey, is best known for being the site of a stately Ivy League university campus. The architecture on Princeton University's campus is accentuated by massive stone-built buildings, tree-lined streets, and expansive town squares. One of the campus' famous structures is Nassau Hall, erected in 1756, a four-story Georgian-inspired building which now houses the administrative offices. From June-November, 1783, Nassau Hall was the site of the Continental Congress, thus temporarily making the city the U.S. capital.
Other than Nassau Hall, the other well-known architecturally significant structure on the campus of Princeton University is the University Chapel, which is actually more like a Cathedral. Built in the ornate Gothic style of European cathedrals, this building seats 2,000 people comfortably and is known for high-buttressed ceilings and elaborate stained-glass windows.
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