201 N 3rd St (also called 249 Race St) once housed one of Philadelphia's most celebrated nightclubs, The Black Banana. It began in 1971...

In the 18th & 19th century, Old City, due to it's proximity to the port, was the commercial hub of the city. Businesses and banking were...

In 1889, the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad decided to build a new headquarters and train station at 12th & Market St. At the time, the...

Many of the loft buildings in Old City originated as sweat shops producing clothing. Two leading examples are buildings originally built...

161 - 163 N 3rd St is a 5-story, 4-bay, Flemish-bond brick, Federal building with a 6- bay storefront. It was built c. 1815. Originally...

The first tavern in Philadelphia opened in 1682, only a few months after William Penn had founded the city. Called the Blue Anchor Inn,...

In the early 1900s, skyscrapers of ever-increasing heights began to rise all over the world, including in Philadelphia. By the late...

Philadelphia has many dead ends and alleys that go only one or two blocks. Even Elfreth’s Alley has a dead end blind lane near Front St,...

Built between 1932 and 1934 in the Art Deco style, the US Customs House occupies almost an entire block of Old City. Dozens of 19th...

The U.S.S. Olympia served as Commodore George Dewey's flagship during the Battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. In that engagement, the...

Jacob Graff purchased the property at the SW corner of 7th and Market Streets from Edmund and Abigail Physick on June 1, 1775, and built...

17 N 2nd St (built c. 1785) sits at the NE corner of 2nd & Church St. The block of Church St from Front to 2nd is no wider than an...

W.G. Ellis & Co. Knitting Mill was the original tenant of a smaller building at 415 - 19 Vine St built ca. 1880 (photo 1). They...

Moore's Wireworks was founded in 1821 by an English immigrant who originally made wire for bonnets and hoopskirts and then began making...

The newish apartment building between 4th and 5th Sts. and between the B.F. Bridge and Race St replaced a long standing Philadelphia...

The Castings is a collection of industrial buildings dating from the 18th & 19th century that were converted to residential use in 1986....

257 N 3rd St is a 4-story Flemish-bond brick, Greek Revival building with 3-bay storefront. Built c. 1835, the earliest recorded occupant...

The Georgian Revival building at 243 Chestnut St (NE corner) is the third documented building on that site. Kinsley & Co, Package Express...

The fire station at 319-321 Race Street and neighboring police station at 323-325 Race Street, which were converted to multifamily...

The Clay Studio was founded in 1974 by five artists in need of workspace. Their first home, on the 100 block of Orianna St, was destroyed...