Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-08-28
ANTIQUATED ARCHITECTURE.
Quaint old buildings 10 be Seen I'm
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Record

Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Record
To the antiquarian, as he passes
Slong the streets of the city il is inter
estiug 10 note the old building which
have withStood the march of modern
| Improvement, and which carry one
back III imagination 10 the past cen>
tury. Stately houses are To he seen,
substantially built and imposing in
appearance, but singularly devoid of
those conytnlences which nowadays
are considered to be SO indispensable.
| Opposite the state house is one such,
true type of an old fashioned domi>
Gle for the middle classes. At the
southwest corner OF Third and Market
streets there is a fine old bailding-
large and lofly-built Of the red and
| blue bricks which we notice in so
many really old houses, and which
We're probably imported from Eng
! land. On the southwest corner OF
| Decatur aud Market streets there
stands another Gne old building of the
same style. Along both sides of Mar
! ket street there are many of the old
| style dwellings, three stories high, of
plain exterior, nearly all Of which
| have been altered for business pur,
poses. 4 few OF the old fashioned two
story buildings, with steep roofs and
| dormer windows, still remain One
such on Market street below Seventh
is ia such state OF dilapidat,on that
if 1t were not for the lofty, modern
buildings which support it on either
side it would doubtless fall To the
ground. Two very curious buildings,
a store and dwelling, stand nearly
! opposite 10 each ether on Seventh
street below Race. One IS frame,
roughly east, the other BRICK The
store has two odd-looking bulk win
dows, in which goods have been dis
| played for over a century.
There is group OF buildings at
Seventh and Fllbert and Eighth and
Flbsrt which, by their odd and an
cient appearance, plainly indicate that
.hey belong To a period long since
past. The corner house at Eighth and
Flbert, nov used as tobacco store,
was evidently in the past century,
used as tavern or ''ale house." A
curious old sign fastened to the gable
| end of the house IS adorned with the
| uS vi II liOHt anu w ais tllt GdiC vi
| 1747. The row of extremely low
houses below Eighth street exhibits IN
striking degree the lack of proper
ideas in constructing healthful domi
Giles which prevailed century ago.
A tall man can hardly stand upright
in the rooms, and the upper sashes of
the windows are rs immovable as the
frames themselves, allowing no ven~
tlllation. On the front wall of these
buildings is to be seen the badge OF
an Old an defunet insurance com
pany.
On the west side of Second street
between Dock and Spruce, there are
several stately old houses which at
one time commanded fine view OF
the Delaware They bear the date Of
177S aud also the emblem of the
Green Tree" insurance company. 1t
| was q favorIte method OF old time
builders to have the date when houses
were erected plainly stamped upon the
TN hanges which upheld the waters
spout.
On Arch street, between Front and
Fifth, there are many old houses
which afford fine examples of the bet
ter class of three story dwellings built
toward the close of the last century,
with dormer windows and handsome
carved doorways and cornic s. Many
houses of the same character are 10 be
found in what was once a fashionable
neighborhood, on Seventh street,
near Ransom, above Seventh.
On Eighth and Ninth streets, be-
low Walnut, are 10 be seen few well
built houses which bear the date 17S4.
On Fifth street, near Pine, there
stands fine row Of dwelling houses,
with ornamented doors and windows,
on which the storms of a hundred
years have beaten; and near by, on
Union street. below Fifth, may be
found few very old houses, one of
which bears the date Of 1884 The old
style hip roofs, or roofs that slant at
two different angles, always indicate
that the houses they cover are OF great
age. The one at the northeast cor
uer OF Third and Lambard is an exam
pie.
On Fifth street below Walnut, may
be seen a number Of antiquated speci
mems of last century buildings, some
two and half stories and two of four
stories high all severely plain. The
row Of what were once considered
stylish houses on Walnut street oppo
site Washington square, were erected
about 80 years ago. Half century
ago they were occupied by people Of
means, but are now rented for law
yers' Offices. York" row, on the
south side Of Walnut street, above
Seventh, erected in 1912, was consid :
cred ta be quite aristocratic. The
houses are roomy and lofty, and have
ornamented doorways Of peculiar and
pleasing design.
On Eight street, between Walnut
and Spruce streets, a number Of houses
! of which Philadelphians one hundred
years ago we're justly proud are to be
; found One bears the date 1875. The
,, upper portions of doorways in the old
times were seldom semieircular in
form, but nearly always square on
peaked. There are some fine examples
Of handsome carved doorway OF differ.
: ent designs 10 be found in many old
houses.
In the Northen Liberties are TO bt
found many very old houses. Dur.
! ing the Revolution the British had
extensive barracks at Tajrd, near
Green, and many old houses near By
were once occupied by the red coated
} soldiery. In the garrcts OF some may
still be seen the names Of soldiers
written there over one hundred years
,, ago.