Athenaeum of Philadelphia

Athenaeum of Philadelphia
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia in 2024
Map
Location219 S. 6th St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates39°56′49″N 75°09′03″W / 39.946871°N 75.150956°W / 39.946871; -75.150956
ArchitectJohn Notman
Public transit accessBus transport SEPTA bus: 9, 21, 42
Athenaeum of Philadelphia is located in Philadelphia
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Athenaeum of Philadelphia is located in Pennsylvania
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Athenaeum of Philadelphia is located in the United States
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
Built1845
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.72001144
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 1, 1972[1]
Designated NHLDecember 8, 1976[2]

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814. The Athenaeum's purpose, according to its organizational principles, is to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit.[3]

The Athenaeum's collections include architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945. The institution focuses on the history of American architecture and building technology, and houses architectural archives of 180,000 drawings, over 350,000 photographs, and manuscript holdings of about 1,000 American architects.[3]

Since 1950, the Athenaeum has sponsored the annual Athenaeum Literary Award for works of fiction and non-fiction.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "Athenaeum". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved February 16, 2008.
  3. ^ a b "Mission and History" Archived 2013-01-07 at the Wayback Machine on the Athenaeum of Philadelphia website