ELEVATION OF SOUTH FRONT ENTRANCE PAVILION - Free Library of Philadelphia, Lehigh Avenue Branch, 601 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

1906

The Lehigh Branch of the Free Library was designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm of Hewitt & Hewitt. It is among the most elaborate of the branch libraries, and at 126’ x 60’, it is also the largest. While its overall plan and design is quintessential Carnegie library, its size, terra cotta facade, and level of detailing set it apart from most of the Free Library’s more understated brick-constructed branch buildings. The lot was provided by the city of Philadelphia in recognition of the need to serve the growing, largely immigrant community then populating this area of the city. The entrance, with its grand stairway leading to a central doorway flanked by Ionic columns, evokes classical sanctuary entrances and civic structures.

Source

Elliott, Joseph E.

Rights

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)

Coverage

601 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Format

Hewitt and Hewitt (American architectural firm, 1877-1902); Elliott, Joseph E. B. (Photographer), “ELEVATION OF SOUTH FRONT ENTRANCE PAVILION - Free Library of Philadelphia, Lehigh Avenue Branch, 601 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA,” Classicizing Philadelphia, accessed March 29, 2024, https://ds-omeka.haverford.edu/classicizingphiladelphia/items/show/464.