Hidden City Philadelphia

07/10/2025

New podcast guest: Larry Robin, the former bookseller and co-founder of Moonstone Arts Center. Available now on Apple and Spotify, or click the link below.

Robin, like his city, contains multitudes. So many multitudes…which emerge in this long-form episode, as Song of Philadelphia host Julien Suadeau follows Larry from his apartment above the old bookshop to the formerly Jewish neighborhood where he spent his earliest years near Mifflin Square to the Jewish Quarter that’s now Society Hill and ultimately to industrial North Philly, where Larry recounts his encounters with the back-to-nature philosopher Scott Nearing.

Larry reflects on his own back-to-nature experiments, the creation of Moonstone Arts, the tendency to become more conservative with age, his powerful guiding principle of self-sufficiency, and how he works with writers and artists. “I see a spark and I’m going to blow on it,” he says.

https://hiddencityphila.org/2025/07/i-see-a-spark-larry-robins-philadelphia-life-now-on-sound-of-philadelphia-podcast/

07/06/2025

Heartbreaking news from Rittenhouse Square. A two-alarm fire broke out inside the former Philadelphia Art Alliance building at 18th and Manning Streets in the wee hours of Friday morning. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer report, “more than 120 firefighters were called to the scene” to extinguish the blaze. The third floor appears to have been decimated, but the extent of the damage throughout the building remains unknown.

The Samuel Price Wetherill mansion was built in 1906 and designed by architect Frank Miles Day. The Italian Renaissance landmark was the headquarters of the Philadelphia Art Alliance from 1926 until it merged with The University of the Arts in 2017. The Curtis Institute of Music was purchased 251. S. 18th Street earlier this year for $7.6 million as part of UArts’ bankruptcy liquidation. The building was placed on the local register of historic places in 1970.

The scene on the ground is pretty grim—the last photo shows what it looked like before the damage. Here is hoping Curtis is able to recover and restore this genuine Philadelphia gem. The building was empty at the time of the fire, but the interior, and its gorgeous architectural ornamentation, was priceless art work in itself.

Read all about the history of the building in Karen Chernick’s 2015 article for HC HERE: https://hiddencityphila.org/2015/08/the-philadelphia-art-alliance-at-100-centennial-exhibition-celebrates-the-wetherill-mansion/




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07/03/2025

Today on our website: A New Public Park Brings Bridesburg Back to the River

The opening of Borski Park will reconnect residents to a waterfront cut off from recreation for decades. Ann de Forest has the story.

The opening of Borski Park will reconnect residents to a waterfront cut off from recreation for decades

06/30/2025

Today on our website: Historic Wyck House in Germantown Gets a Facelift

Extensive conservation work is underway at one of Philadelphia’s oldest homesteads. David Owen Bell has the story.

Extensive conservation work is underway at Philadelphia’s oldest homesteads

06/27/2025

Today on our website: Historic Guardhouse in FDR Park Primed for New Life as a Welcome Center

A major amenity is unveiled in South Philly's Central Park. Kyle Bagenstose has more.

A major amenity is unveiled in South Philly's Central Park

06/25/2025

Oral History Project Seeks Black Voices from the Delaware River Waterfront

Independence Seaport Museum is collecting untold stories from the second half of the 20th century with "Breaking Uncommon Ground." Keshler Thibert has the details.

Independence Seaport Museum is collecting unknown stories from the second half of the 20th century with "Breaking Uncommon Ground"

06/18/2025

Today on our website: Windows into History and Inspiration

The timeless beauty of stained-glass art illuminates sacred and commercial spaces throughout Philadelphia.

The timeless beauty of stained-glass art illuminates sacred and commercial spaces throughout Philadelphia

06/16/2025

Today on our website: A Flatiron, a Firehouse, and a Fine Set of Victorian Twins Added to the Philadelphia Register

Kimberly Haas has this report from the June 2025 meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

Kimberly Haas has this report from the June 2025 meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission

06/13/2025

Today on our website: “Banners of Liberty” Exhibition Gives Warning to the Dangerous Erosion of National Unity

On the eve of Flag Day 2025, Mickey Herr finds America, and its patriotic symbolism, upended by destructive political theater.

Pictured: Flag of the United States of America, Unidentified Maker, 1800-1825 . This flag, made over 20 years after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, is one of the earliest examples of the “Stars and Stripes” known to exist.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE: https://hiddencityphila.org/2025/06/banners-of-liberty-exhibition-gives-warning-to-the-dangerous-erosion-of-national-unity/

06/09/2025

Today on our website --> Places to Save: Spring 2025

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia highlights buildings under threat with its quarterly list, Places to Save.

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia highlights buildings under threat with its quarterly list, Places to Save

06/06/2025

Today on our website --> Restoration Role Model: The Bellevue

South Broad Street's grand dame dazzles with a faithful renovation.

South Broad Street's grand dame dazzles with a faithful renovation

06/06/2025

We visited the Philadelphia Department of Planning & Development for PHILADELPHIA IN COLOR research, and it was an absolute TREASURE TROVE of '60s, '70s and '80s photos, including this groovy shot of former staffers. Thanks for having us, DPD!

PHILADELPHIA IN COLOR, 1950-1990, coming July 2026, will be Philly's first-ever color photographic history book. Learn more & submit your own photos (for one more week!) at phillyincolor.org