Stafford Mansion side view
- Details of the Stafford Mansion
- Looking up at one of the buildings of the 1500 Block
- Side view of 1500 Block
Coming to Temple as an Art History major, I was intrigued by the architecture surrounding the campus. After completing a research grant on Philadelphia’s Gilded Age art collectors, specifically Peter Widener, I began to understand the architectural history of the area. Widener, a Gilded Age tycoon from street-car magnates, lived on the corner of Broad St. and Girard Ave. in an elaborate mansion designed by Victorian architect, Willis G. Hale. Though the mansion is now demolished, Hale’s remaining work can still be seen, disguised as student housing in North Philadelphia. Many of these remaining mansions that were built for the “nouveau riche” are forgotten or under deterioration, but the details that defined the Victorian style of the Gilded Age survive. I photographed two of Hale’s projects, the Stafford mansion built in 1895 and the 1500 block of 17th. St. built in 1886. The 17th St. homes were designed for Widener and his business partner and friend, William Elkins. The beauty of these building can rest in the hidden details if one stops to look and observe the history around campus, whether the carved decorative flowers or the pyramidal roofs. The mansions and block remind us of the beauty that is still present in North Philadelphia, and its vibrant history.
Lea Stephenson
