{"nrhp_refnum":"72001144","name":"Athenaeum of Philadelphia","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"219 S. 6th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94686016950004,"lon":-75.15087125775148,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-02-01","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1976-12-08","areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story, three-bay library and literary society building of red sandstone in Philadelphia, designed by John Notman in 1845 and completed in 1847 for the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, a literary society founded in 1814.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was the first structure of its kind in Philadelphia and one of the earliest appearances of the Italian Renaissance Revival style in the United States. Its use of brownstone and the style influenced local building and raised Notman's reputation. As the oldest library building in Philadelphia in continuous use, it has long served as a gathering place for literary and political figures and as a home to several professional and historical societies.","narrative":"Designed by John Notman in 1845 and completed in 1847, this three-story building of red sandstone in the Italian Renaissance Revival palazzo style stands on St. James Street in Philadelphia. Its rusticated ashlar ground floor, bracketed cornice and recessed entrance with stone pilasters follow Florentine and Roman palace models of the early sixteenth century. Inside, an open central stair rises three floors to a lantern, and the second-floor Library Room, measuring 65 by 24 feet, has a screen of three Corinthian columns and a gold-leaf plaster cornice. The building is significant as the first structure of its kind in the city and one of the earliest uses of the style in the United States. Its brownstone and stylistic innovations influenced Philadelphia building and increased Notman's reputation. It is the oldest library building in the city in continuous use. The Athenaeum has hosted major literary and political figures, and the building has also housed the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Institute of Architects. The National Education Association was founded within its rooms.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John Notman (architect)","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance Revival palazzo style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Original site; the stone exterior shows signs of minor deterioration and the interior is little altered from the original design.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:31.003184-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/72001144.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001144/406e94c0ce-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001144/406e94c0ce-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Athenaeum.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Athenaeum.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"71000065","name":"Society Hill Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/society-hill-historic-district-71000065/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997266","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenaeum_of_Philadelphia","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2869315"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/athenaeum-of-philadelphia-72001144/"}