WEEKNIGHTS AT THE WAGNER: Building for Books - Philadelphia’s Libraries

Architectural Historian Michael J. Lewis will trace the roots and development of Philadelphia’s private and public libraries.

The Quakers who founded Philadelphia believed in universal literacy and were great creators of libraries. The first was the Library Company, which Benjamin Franklin helped establish in 1731 and which was America’s first subscription library. But Quakers also believed that knowledge should be useful, and gave their libraries a pragmatic character unlike those of any other American city. 

This talk explores how Philadelphia’s library buildings expressed these values, functionally as well as symbolically. Among Philadelphia’s many public and private libraries, this talk will look at Frank Furness’s furiously original library at the University of Pennsylvania, with book stacks capable of infinite extension; the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Parkway building, which masked its up-to-the-minute plan with a two-century old facade; and Philadelphia’s newest library, the Charles Library at Temple University with its computerized book retrieval system. The talk will also discuss the Wagner Free Institute of Science, and its role in the history of Philadelphia’s public libraries.

About the Speaker

Michael J. Lewis, PhD, is the Faison-Pierson-Stoddard Professor of Art at Williams College in Massachusetts. He writes for a variety of publications and his books include Frank Furness: Architecture and the Violent Mind (W. W. Norton, 2001) and Philadelphia Builds: Essays on Architecture (Paul Dry Books, 2021). He is the architecture critic of the Wall Street Journal.

ANNUAL MEMBER RECEPTION

Join us afterwards for our Annual Member Reception with wine & nibbles in the Exhibit Hall, free for current Members, $15 for guests.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

4:30 - 6 PM - Exhibit Hall open for extended hours

6 - 7:30 PM - Lecture in the Lecture Hall

7:30 - 8:30 PM - Reception in the Exhibit Hall

You may register for the lecture, the reception or both.

This event will be in-person and will not be recorded.