Item Info

The Stephen Girard Building was built in 1896 by the estate of Stephen Girard, the merchant and banker who was the wealthiest man in America on his death in 1831. The 13-story office building, located at 19-25 South 12th Street, was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by notable Philadelphia architect James Hamilton Windrim. 

Item 1, upper left corner: View of 12th Street looking south from the busy intersection with Market Street. The tall building in the middle distance is the Stephen Girard Office Building. Horse-drawn wagons share the street with electric trolley cars in this photograph published in King's Views of Philadelphia, p.9. (1901). Image size: 10.5cm x 16.9cm

Item 2, upper right corner: Architectural rendering of The Stephen Girard Office Building clearly shows the building's richly decorated concrete facade, particularly in the design of the 3rd floor cornice supported by Ionic columns. Published in the American Institute of Architect's T-Square Yearbook, p.7 (1896). Image size: 12.5cm x 19cm

Item 3, lower left corner: Photograph of the Witherspoon Building taken from the corner of Walnut and Sansom Streets. Completed in 1897, the 11-story steel-framed office building was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston. The brick and granite exterior features columns, medallions and seals of the Presbyterian church. The building was placed on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1978. Published in King's Views of Philadelphia, p. 16. (1901). Image size: 10.2cm x 16.4cm

Item 4, lower right corner:  Gentlemen's clubs or Elite clubs existed in Philadelphia since colonial times as an alternative to coffee houses where society's 'movers and shakers' could meet in private. The University Club, located at 1316 Walnut Street, was for men affiliated to the University of Pennsylvania. It was designed in the Spanish-Moorish style by noted architect, Wilson Eyre. Image size: 8.8cm x 10.3cm