The Awbury Historic District is a historic area in the
East Germantown neighborhood of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. It encompasses the former summer homes and farms of the extended Cope family, who moved to the area starting in 1849 and the entire
Awbury Arboretum
Awbury Arboretum (55 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum and estate located at 1 Awbury Road in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its grounds are open daily without charge. Established in 1916, it then became a nonprofit organization in 1984.
Hi ...
, which occupies most of the district's area, as well as adjacent properties developed and occupied by Henry Cope (1793-1865), son and successor to prominent Philadelphia Orthodox
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
merchant Thomas Pym Cope (1768-1854), his close relatives, and his descendants. The district, which has been described by Philadelphia area historians as "visually distinct from the densely-built urban blocks that surround it on three sides, and from the level, open landscape of the city park to the northwest," features buildings which were designed in the
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
,
Italian Villa
A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions.
Typology and distribution
Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas ...
,
Queen Anne,
Tudor Revival,
Shingle
Shingle may refer to:
Construction
*Roof shingles or wall shingles, including:
**Wood shingle
***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle
***Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oak ...
, and
Colonial Revival styles of architecture between 1849 and 1922.
This district was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2001. In 2010 it was added to the
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
History and architectural features
The Awbury Historic District in Philadelphia's East Germantown neighborhood encompasses the former summer homes and farms of the extended Cope family, who moved to the area starting in 1849, as well as the entire Awbury Arboretum, which occupies most of the district's area. In addition, it also includes properties which were developed and occupied by Henry Cope (1793-1865), son of the prominent Philadelphia Orthodox Quaker merchant Thomas Pym Cope (1768-1854). An irregularly shaped district, its boundaries are described as follows by the City of Philadelphia's list of historic districts:
"Beginning at the northwest corner of Ardleigh Street and E. Washington Lane, the boundary moves southeast along Ardleigh Street to the rear property lines of the homes on the northwestern corner of Ardleigh and E. Haines Streets; then travels southwest along the rear of properties of E. Haines Street; then travels along the eastern, southern, and western property lines of 999 E. Haines street; then travels southwest to Devon Place; then travels along Devon Place and the front property lines of 5913-23 and 5925-31 Devon Places; then travels north to the rear property lines of the houses on Devon Place; then travels southwest, then south, and then southeast along the rear of the property lines along Devon Place to E. Haines Street; then travels southwest along E. Haines Street to the northern corner of Avonhoe Road; then travels north and west along Avonhoe Road to the northeast corner of the property at 6060 Avonhoe road; then travels along the eastern and southern property lines of 6060 Avonhoe Road and comes to Chew Avenue; then travels southwest on High Street until it reaches the SEPTA R7 railroad line; then travels along the eastern edge of the railroad line, crosses Washington Lane, and reaches the northwestern corner of the Awbry Arboretum property line; then travels northeast along the rear of the properties of the 900 and 1000 E. Washington Lane to Ardleigh Street; then travels southeast along Ardleigh Street to the point of origin."
"Visually distinct from the densely-built urban blocks" and open, city park landscape around it, this district's structures were designed between 1849 and 1922 in Gothic Revival, Italian Villa, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, Shingle, and Colonial Revival styles of architecture.
The grounds of the Awbury Arboretum were designed by
William Saunders, the prominent landscape architect who designed the
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Gettysburg National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery created for Union casualties from the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg, which was fought between July 1 to 3, 1863, resulted in the larges ...
and helped to design Fairmount Park. A Victorian-style garden was also created near the Francis Cope House through the joint efforts of the Philadelphia Garden Club and the Weeders Garden Club.
Placement of this district on the National Register of Historic Places
In August 2000, Philadelphia area newspapers reported that representatives of the Awbury Arboretum had submitted the necessary paperwork to initiate the creation of the Awbury Historic District and secure its placement on the National Register of Historic Places. That paperwork was then reviewed for its suitability for the NRHP by Pennsylvania's Historic Preservation Board at its March 13, 2001 meeting at 9:45 a.m. at the State Museum in Harrisburg. Also considered for NRHP status at this time were the:
Protection of the Flag Monument
The Protection of the Flag Monument (also known as the "Defense of the Flag Monument") is a historic war memorial located in Academy Park at 715 South Main Street in Athens, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Designed in the Classical Revival style by ...
in Athens, Pennsylvania; Normandy Farm,
George K. Heller School, and
Upper Roxborough Historic District
Upper Roxborough Historic District is a national historic district located in Philadelphia and Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 108 contributing buildings, 23 contributing sites, and 18 contributing structures ...
in Montgomery County; Harris/Laird, Schober & Company Building in Philadelphia; Michael Derstine Farmstead in Bucks County;
Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District
The Chester Heights Camp Meeting Historic District is a historic Methodist camp meeting and national historic district located in Chester Heights, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 101 contributing buildings, which were designe ...
in Delaware County;
John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House
The John Nicholas and Elizabeth Moyer House, also known as Richland, is a historic home located in Jefferson Township in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Built circa 1817, it is a -story, four-over-four stone dwelling. A stone summer kitchen, which w ...
in Berks County;
William Shelly School and Annex
The William Shelly School and Annex, also known as the Eberton School, is a historic school building and annex located in West York, York County, Pennsylvania. Built circa 1897, the Shelly Annex was initially designed as a one-room school, but was ...
in York County; and the
Zeta Psi Fraternity House
The Zeta Psi Fraternity House at Lafayette College is a historic house located on the campus of Lafayette College in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The house was built by the Tau Chapter of the Zeta Psi fraternity between 1909 and 19 ...
in Northampton County. This district was then officially added to the National Register in May 2001, an achievement that was recognized on September 23 of that year with a day of free educational activities for the public, including tours of several of the district's most prominent homes.
["Festivities to mark new historic district," ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', September 14, 2001, p. 82.]
This district was then also officially added to the
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Contributing properties
There are 31 contributing buildings, including 24 homes, as well as other buildings.
*
Awbury Arboretum
Awbury Arboretum (55 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum and estate located at 1 Awbury Road in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its grounds are open daily without charge. Established in 1916, it then became a nonprofit organization in 1984.
Hi ...
*Francis Cope House (1860)
*Jonathan & Rachel Cope Evans House (1872)
*Alexis T. & Elizabeth Cope House (1882-3)
*Cope/Evans Double Houses (1885-6)
*
William Draper Lewis
William Draper Lewis (1867–1949) was the first full-time dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1896–1914), and the founding director (1923–1947) of the American Law Institute.
Personal life and education
William Draper ...
House (ca. 1892–3)
*Alfred G. & Mary Scattergood house (1909)
*William C. Kimber house (1914)
*Shippen & Esther Lewis house (1921)
See also
*
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
References
External links
*
Awbury Arboretum Association: Cope Family Collection" in "Philadelphia Area Archives Research Portal." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Penn Libraries, retrieved online October 12, 2019.
*
Awbury Historic District & Homes" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Awbury Arboretum, retrieved online October 12, 2019.
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Gothic Revival architecture in Pennsylvania
Historic districts in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
Germantown, Philadelphia
Houses in Philadelphia
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia