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_The Colonial Architecture
of Philadelphia_
Nine hundred and seventy-five copies of =The Colonial Architecture of
Philadelphia=, of which nine hundred and fifty are for sale, have been
printed from type and the type distributed.
This copy is Number 201
[Illustration: PLATE I.--Doorway, Cliveden, Germantown.]
_The
Colonial Architecture
of Philadelphia_
_By_
_Frank Cousins and Phil M. Riley_
_Illustrated_
[Illustration]
_Boston_
_Little, Brown, and Company_
_1920_
_Copyright, 1920,_
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
_All rights reserved_
_Foreword_
So many books have been published which are devoted wholly or in part to
the fine old Colonial residences and public buildings of Philadelphia,
including Germantown, that it might seem almost the part of temerity to
suppose there could be a place for another one. A survey of the entire
list, however, discloses the fact that almost without exception these
books are devoted primarily to a picture of the city in Colonial times,
to the stories of its old houses and other buildings now remaining, or
to an account of the activities of those who peopled them from one to
two centuries ago. Some more or less complete description of the
structures mentioned has occasionally been included, to be sure, but
almost invariably this has been subordinate to the main theme. The
narrative has been woven upon a historical rather than an architectural
background, so that these books appeal to the tourist, historian and
antiquary rather than to the architect, student and prospective home
builder.
Interesting as was the provincial life of this community; absorbing as
are the reminiscences attaching to its well-known early buildings;
important as were the activities of those who made them part and parcel
of our national life, the Colonial architecture of this vicinity is in
itself a priceless heritage--extensive, meritorious, substantial,
distinctive. It is a heritage not only of local but of national
interest, deserving detailed description, analysis and comparison in a
book which includes historic facts only to lend true local color and
impart human interest to the narrative, to indicate the sources of
affluence and culture which aided so materially in developing this
architecture, and to describe the life and manners of the time which
determined its design and arrangement. Such a book the authors have
sought to make the present volume, and both Mr. Riley in writing the
text and Mr. Cousins in illustrating it have been actuated primarily by
architectural rather than historic values, although in most instances
worthy of inclusion the two are inseparable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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