“Historic Architecture in Philadelphia: East Falls, Manayunk, and Roxborough” | Joseph Minardi

 
Looking for the latest and greatest coffee table book to show off to your family, friends, and neighbors?

I’m not talking about Kramer’s, “Coffee Table Book … About Coffee Tables.” I’m talking about something local, something cool, and something unique.

Joe Minardi and I met years ago when he first started to compile his latest work titled, “Historic Architecture in Philadelphia: East Falls, Manayunk, and Roxborough.” Since I live in Roxborough myself, he had reached out to me about getting in touch with some of the local Myk/Rox homeowners who lived in historically significant homes. As a real estate agent, my idea was to find homes that fit within Joe’s criteria and then reach out to other agents who had homes listed for sale. With the owners’ permission of course, Joe started shooting Philadelphia’s real estate history; one home at a time.

After Joe released his EF/Myk/Rox book in May 2014, we decided to meet up and chat about how it came to be.

Tim Garrity: What inspired you to write about Myk/Rox/EF?

Joe Minardi: This is my 3rd Philadelphia book. Each book focuses on different neighborhoods, and I’ve always had EF/Myk/Rox in mind as a subject. Typically, I target my books based on historic significance and architecture; it must be well preserved from the earliest period of the colonial era, up to the revival styles of the earlier 20th century. Pre-Modern architecture, is also a better way to put it. Pre-Modern encompasses a wide variety of styles in the Victorian era: Greek Revival, Early Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne. These styles are mainly centered around European influences.

TG: How has this area differed from your other architecture-inspired books? In other words, what makes EF/Myk/Rox unique?

JM: The uniqueness of the EF/Myk/Rox area is its industrial past. That and the fact that many homes in the area were built with Wissahickon schist, a local stone. Over time, these homes have almost acquired an ancient aura to them. This area also has many factories/mills that have been re-purposed and modernized, which presents a story in itself. Ex-factory owners lived in the larger homes on top of the hill (aka Roxborough). Those owners really enjoyed the ruralness of the area. In Upper Roxborough and the Shawmont Valley, it’s interesting to look back to Roxborough’s rural period. It never developed like other parts of Philadelphia, and still remains rural today. Henry Howard Houston owned most of the land when he died in 1895. He was the one who inspired Chestnut Hill’s plan and future growth. Samuel Houston, his only surviving son, built the Andorra Shopping Center (early 1950s). Which was a different model of growth.

TG: If you had to pick a favorite home/building in this book, which one would it be?

JM: (Laughs) As for a favorite, that’s a tough question. If I had to pick one building, I was blown away by St. John the Baptist church in Manayunk (where Silverwood St and Rector St meet). It’s probably the nicest church I have seen in Philadelphia, aside from the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Another local building to note was St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Ridge Ave, it was magnificent! What a great church. If I had to pick one home, 347 Green Ln (owned by Louise Fischer) was my favorite. It stood out to me as it was built in the early 1900s, and it was done in the Tudor Revival style. Original plumbing fixtures, woodwork, and tile work from the 1920s. Louise refers to it as “The Great Gatsby House.” There was another nice home (circa 1865) in Upper Roxborough, done in Italianate Style, and it actually had a root cellar framed in dolomite; which was amazing in itself.

TG: Aside from the home I got you into, how did you get in to shoot most of these homes?

JM: Knowing local people, which you helped with. Kay Sykora was instrumental and gave me some very good leads. Then there was good old-fashioned research. I would reach out and schedule meetings with current owners/tenants and ask, “Would you mind if I came in to do a photo shoot?” Since I am from South Philadelphia myself, I had to reach out to local, neighborhood people.

TG: Where can readers go to get their copy?

JM: It’s available for purchase at The Spiral Bookcase (Manayunk), AIA Bookstore (2 Philadelphia locations), Joseph Fox Bookshop (Center City), UPenn Bookstore (University City), as well as on Amazon.com and lots of other places online.

TG: Any other Philadelphia-inspired books on the horizon?

JM: Yeah, I have some other ideas. I’m trying to come up with an appropriate title for one of my concepts, which focuses on Philadelphia’s residential architecture from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, back when Philadelphia was referred to as “The Workshop of the World.” The factories here made just about anything used anywhere on Earth, which grew our city and our architecture. I’m working on it.

Joe hopes that his books will inspire people to preserve what we have in Philadelphia (e.g. The Bunting House, Roxborough). He wants to give people perspective into Philadelphia’s history and culture, and wants them to “rally to the cause.”

If you want to help support Joe’s mission, pick up a copy of his latest book as well as any of his other books.