Image: The Athenaeum

Description: The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. The building was designed in 1845 by architect John Notman in the Italianate style, and was one of the first buildings in the city to be built of brownstone, although it was originally planned to be faced in marble – brownstone was used because it was cheaper. Notman's design was influences by the work of the English architect Charles Barry. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Today, it is operated as a museum furnished with American fine and decorative arts from the first half of the nineteenth century, and is open to the public free of charge. (Sources: Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.) and "Mission and History" on the Athenaeum of Philadelphia website)
Title: The Athenaeum
Credit: Own work
Author: Beyond My Ken
Usage Terms: GNU Free Documentation License
License: GFDL
License Link: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
Attribution Required?: Yes