Theophilus P. Chandler Jr.
Portrait of an American Architect

Based on the Athenaeum's collection and extensive research by Chandler scholars, Joan Roberts and the late William B. Bassett, this exhibition and accompanying catalog will be a significant contribution to the scholarship of gilded-age art and architecture. The Athenaeum has the largest extant archive of Chandler materials, including more than 200 original drawings and sketches, hundreds of contemporary photographs, office files, and the architect's own substantial art and design library.

The importance of Theophilus Parsons Chandler, Jr. (1845-1928) to the architectural profession in late nineteenth-century Philadelphia cannot be overestimated, not only as a conveyor of high-style design, often based on European models, but also as the founder of the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Architecture.  Chandler substantially affected the architectural climate in Philadelphia and raised the role of architect to new heights of professionalism.  His first commissions reflect his ties to the development of the Philadelphia suburb of Ridley Park, but by 1874 he was already engaged on commissions for the DuPont family in Delaware.  Throughout his career Chandler designed a number of residences, but he became chiefly known as an ecclesiastical architect, with such major churches as the Church of the New Jerusalem in Philadelphia, Calvary Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., and the First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA, to his credit.

September 13 - November 12, 2010
Free Admission

Hours:

Monday-Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM
First Saturdays, 10:00AM - 2:00PM