Architecture
Philadelphia's architectural history dates back to Colonial times and has included a wide range of styles that, in certain areas, are showcased within a range of several blocks. The earliest structures were constructed with logs, but by 1700 brick structures were common. Georgian architecture dominated the cityscape during the 18th century with the most notable Georgian structure being Independence Hall. In the first decades of the 19th century Federal architecture and Greek Revival architecture were popular. In the second half of the 19th century Victorian architecture was common. In 1871 construction began on the Second Empire style, Philadelphia City Hall. Even with the construction of steel and concrete skyscrapers in the 1910s, 20s and 30s, the 548 ft City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until 1987 when One Liberty Place was constructed. Numerous glass and granite skyscrapers were built from the late 1980s onwards with the largest being the Comcast Center. In 2007 the Comcast Center surpassed One Liberty Place and officially became the tallest building in Philadelphia.
For much of Philadelphia's history the typical Philadelphia home has been the row house. The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 1800s and, for a time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as "Philadelphia rows". There is a variety of row houses throughout the city from Victorian style homes in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West Philadelphia. While newer homes are scattered throughout the city, much of Philadelphia's housing is from the early 20th century or older. The age of the city's homes has created numerous problems which has led to blight and vacant lots in many parts of the city, while other neighborhoods such as Society Hill, which has the largest concentration of original 18th century architecture in the United States, have been rehabilitated and gentrified.
(Source: Wikipedia.org)
