Powelton Village was built on land that was held by two families: the Powel family and the Bingham-Baring family. The first houses were built in the Italianate style beginning in 1859-’60. Over the subsequent 50 years houses were built in Powelton in every important style of Victorian architecture. Because of this architectural diversity and its social history, Powelton Village was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Interactive Property Map of Powelton History: The Interactive Map provides easy access to photos and information about each house and the people who lived there.
Map of Powelton
Pictures
of Beautiful Powelton
History of
Powelton Village
Description
and Statement of Significance of the Powelton Village
Historic District
The Powelton community [map]
that exists in the late twentieth century is the
result of three stages of building decisions:
One in the early nineteenth century when great
estates were built there; another in the middle
of the century when street and rail lines made
it a successful upper-class suburb; followed at
the end of the century by a phase of dense urban
building.
- Inventory of Buildings
in Powelton, taken from the application submitted
to the national register of Historic Places.
Note: this text has
been scanned and edited to be placed on the web.
There are errors, which I'll be glad to fix if
they're pointed out. I'm sure some neighbors have
done more research on their homes than exists
in these documents. Within reason I'd be glad
to include that, pictures, or other information
about specific homes or buildings... probably
in the form of a link from the address. --->
mjones1@swarthmore.edu
- PDF Version of
the National Register of Historic Places Nomination.
This duplicates the information above and consists
of two large pdf formatted files. Source: Pennsylvania's
Historic Architecture & Archaeology.
- Powelton Village Historic
District - Description
and Inventory
of Buildings
 |
| An "electric traffic cop"
goes on trial duty today at the northwest corner
of 35th and Powelton Avenue, ca 1920 - 1929.
The view is looking east on Powelton Avenue
and the arrow points to the "robot"
device. This image and many other GREAT images
are available in Temple's Archival
Collections Database. |
The
Building of West Philadelphia (M. Grubel)
Fascinating web site surveying
the history of West Philadelphia architecture. Of
particular interest are the links below to the maps
section of the web site and plates showing the development
of West Philadelphia and the area which becomes
Powelton Village.
The transformation of West
Philadelphia from a collection of rural estates
and small industrial villages into a suburban development
took place largely from the 1850s through the 1920s.
This website was created to help residents understand
their houses. Its focus is on the area covered by
the University of Pennsylvania's Community Housing
Program, and more generally the area now covered
by the University City District. The website has
three broad catagories that can be explored; a history
of the area, an overview of the architecture, and
research tools.
HISTORICAL
MAPS, 1750 - 1930 information courtesy of M.
Grubel and the University of Pennsylvania's Community
Housing Program.
| 1749
|
N. Scull and G.
Heap, Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent |
| 1850
|
Section from Rea
& Miller, Map of Blockley Twp. [includes
West Philadelphia and portion of Kingsessing
Twp.] |
| 1872
|
Hopkins Atlas of
West Philadelphia |
| 1878
|
Scott's Atlas of
West Philadelphia |
| 1886
|
Baist, Atlas of
West Philadelphia |
| 1895
|
Bromley, Atlas of
Philadelphia |
| 1927
|
Bromley, Atlas of
Philadelphia |
Historic Sites in Powelton Village
(Links to University City Historical Society)
Frederick
A. Poth Houses
3301-3311 Powelton Ave.
Poth
and Schmidt Development Houses
3306-3316 Arch St.
The
Powelton Apartments
3500-3520 Powelton Ave., 214-218 N. 35th St.,
and 215-221 N. 36th St.
John
Shedwick Development Houses
3433-3439 Lancaster Ave.
The
Philadelphia Armory
32nd St. and Lancaster Ave.
30th
Street Station
Centennial
Bank
3200 Market St.
designed by Frank Furness
From the Powelton Post
Samuel
Powel and Powelton 1783 - 1793
Tales
of Powelton Past - September 2000
Tales
of Powelton Past - October 2000
Tales of Powelton Past -
January 2001
Tales
of Powelton Past - March 2001
University
City Historical Society
Preservation
Studio Report
The Studio component of the
Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the
University of Pennsylvania takes an interdisciplinary
approach to historic preservation. For one semester,
students from diverse backgrounds and fields of
study participate in an integrated effort to identify
and preserve the values inherent in a cultural
site.
During the Fall 2001 semester,
the Studio studied Powelton Village. Using principles
outlined in the Burra Charter, the Studio adopted
a value-driven framework for preservation planning.
