Pennsylvania

A collection of images celebrating the extravagant and historic mansions of Pittsburgh, PA.

In the 19th century, the positioning of Pittsburgh as a major manufacturing center and the subsequent rise of the area's steel industry created a wave of prosperity that prompted the beneficiaries of that wealth to construct extravagant residences. Wealthy enclaves sprang up in the city's East End, across the river in neighboring Allegheny City, and into the countryside. Pittsburgh's Mansions explores the stately homes of the area's prominent residents from the 1830s through the 1920s. Businessmen such as H.J. Heinz, Henry Clay Frick, and members of the Mellon family commissioned elaborate homes from the preeminent architects of their day. Firms such as Alden & Harlow, Janssen & Abbott, and Rutan & Russell left their marks on the city's landscape, often contributing iconic public buildings as well as expansive private homes. Though many of the residences have since been lost, Pittsburgh's Mansions offers a look back at the peak of the city's prominence.

The most significant building project of its time, Eastern State Penitentiary was designed to reshape the minds of its inmates, rather than break their spirits.

It was believed that by keeping prisoners isolated in the chapel-like cells the inner light of their souls would emerge, leading them to discover penitence. In reality, the isolation was nearly impossible to maintain, and the lofty goals of the founders crumbled in the 20th century, much like the building itself. Originally located on the outskirts of Philadelphia, the city eventually expanded and swallowed up the prison. Its unique location became problematic, and numerous escapes and riots threatened the civilian populace in the area. The prison was home to such well-known figures as Chicago mob boss Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton, once the most wanted man in America. Eastern State Penitentiary chronicles the history of this massive prison from its opening in 1829 to its closing and abandonment in 1971, and finally to the rebirth of the prison in the 1990s as a thriving historic site and national historic landmark

Architect Horace Trumbauer (1868-1938) is well known for the wide range of residential, commercial, and civic structures he designed in and around Philadelphia.

His works can be found along Old York Road and the Main Line, as well as in Philadelphia and Springfield Township, Montgomery County. During the American renaissance in architecture, Trumbauer masterfully interpreted the classical styles, designing many of the area's most notable structures. Captured in stunning exterior and interior photographs, The Philadelphia Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer highlights the architect's most significant works, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Keswick Theatre, the Widener Building, Whitemarsh Hall, Lynnewood Hall, and Ardrossan.

Williamsport was once known as the lumber capital of the world, claiming to have more millionaires per capita living there than anywhere else in the world. Made fashionable by visionary Victorian-era entrepreneur Peter Herdic and his talented personal architect Eber Culver, Williamsport's West Fourth Street became the place to live and visit celebrities and socialites, including Annie Weightman Walker Penfield, the richest woman in the world in her day. These vintage postcards feature scenes varying from the lavish Victorian homes the nouveau riche built from the spoils of the bustling lumbermills and offshoot industries to the resplendent houses of worship where the rich and the poor stood side by side. Williamsport's Millionaires' Row records the pinnacle of Williamsport's wealth and glory days, highlighting the homes of the Millionaires' Row National Register Historic District.

Following the drilling of the world's first oil well in 1859 just south of town, the small village of Titusville exploded into a bustling city. Through the early 1870s, newly prosperous citizens built stores, banks, hotels, and churches, as well as hundreds of residences. Into the 20th century, residents remodeled or built anew, leaving Titusville with a crop of Victorian buildings, many of which still stand today. The nearby cities of Petroleum Center and Pithole developed at significant oil production sites. As production moved elsewhere in the 1870s, both cities were abandoned and soon vanished completely. Using vintage images from the unmatched collection of the Drake Well Museum, Oil Boom Architecture: Titusville, Pithole, and Petroleum Center documents the rich architectural history of these three boomtowns.

When the Henry Belin Jr. Waverly Community House and Park was dedicated in 1920, Margaretta E. Belin intended both to honor her husband and benefit residents of Abington Township. The community house was envisioned by its progressive donor as the educational, cultural, and social heart of rural Waverly. By 1930, when Margaretta and Henry's six children added land and two wings to the original building in honor of their mother, chautauquas, concerts, clubs, sports teams, and Scout troops were filling the annual calendar of events. On site, a post office provided mail delivery, a canteen supplied merchandise from ammonia to pencils, and residents of Dalton, Factoryville, Clarks Summit, and Clarks Green pumped gasoline. No activity, however, was more celebrated both locally and regionally than the annual fair that united Waverly in purpose, labor, and pleasure at summer's end. Since its inception, the Waverly Community House has set and achieved ambitious goals to enrich community life, a mission that successive generations have strived to follow.