Owen Biddle Jr. (April 28, 1774May 25, 1806) was an American carpenter and builder, based in

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 ...

. A

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 ...

, he designed that city's Arch Street Friends Meetinghouse circa 1803–1804. A

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structure, the building's East and West rooms were added, respectively, in 1804 and 1811.

Background

Biddle, the son of clockmaker Owen Biddle Sr., is best known for his influential handbook, ''The Young Carpenter's Assistant'', which was published in 1805. In 1833, the book was revised and expanded by Philadelphia architect

John Haviland John Haviland (15 December 1792 – 28 March 1852) was an English-born American architect who was a major figure in American Neo-Classical architecture, and one of the most notable architects working from Philadelphia in the 19th century. Biog ...

, who republished it as ''An Improved and Enlarged Edition of Biddle's Young Carpenter's Assistant''. Biddle was elected to the

Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia is the oldest extant craft guild in the United States. Founded in 1724, the Company consists of nearly 200 prominent Philadelphia area architects, building contractors and structura ...

in 1800. Three years later, he began work on the Arch Street Friends Meetinghouse, which is still in use today. From 1805 to 1806, Biddle also designed and oversaw the creation of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Building. In addition, he also played a role in the construction of several homes in Philadelphia's

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...

neighborhood, several of which still stand, and in creating the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge. America's first covered bridge, the latter structure was designed by Timothy Palmer.

Death and interment

Biddle died at the age of 32 on May 25, 1806, and was buried on the grounds of the Arch Street Friends Meetinghouse."Owen Biddle Architect," Arch Street Meeting House.

References

External links

''The Young Carpenter's Assistant''
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddle, Owen Jr. 1774 births 1806 deaths Architects from Philadelphia People of colonial Pennsylvania Owen Jr. Burials in Pennsylvania