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Any archinecters from Philadelphia?
2007.01.03 13:50
The first virtual museum of architecture online started from a rowhouse basement in Philadelphia's neighborhood of Olney on 21 November 1996. Another Philly First, like ENIAC--there was a time, 20 years ago now, when I used to occasionally DSC (disk save and compress) a VAX in the building where ENIAC was.
I found out recently that I started living in the rowhouse where the first virtual museum of architecture began on 21 November 1958. I stopped living there 18 October 2006, and the last time I was there was 18 December 2006, a couple hours before I handed over the keys to the new owner, a Haitian man from New York City. In early 2002 I found out that place was once in the midst of a Lenni Lenape camp site, and sacred burial grounds if the vibes I picked up there all those years are true.
The first virtual museum of architecture online still emanates from Philadelphia, now from a twin home on the site of a 1645 fortified Swedish settlement. At the turn of the 19th century this place was the country estate of Miers Fisher, a prominent lawyer you did interesting things like collect rent from President Washington when Philadelphia was Capital of the United States, and act as agent for John James Audubon's father. By the early 20th century this place was the old family home of the man that "built" the first railroads of Japan.
What I've grown to like most about Philadelphia is that the place is so quondam.
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