{"nrhp_refnum":"80003606","name":"Alden Park Manor","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"School House Lane and Wissahickon Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":40.02645087600004,"lon":-75.18382638903063,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-08-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Alden Park is a group of six nine-story reinforced concrete apartment towers arranged in three clusters on about thirty acres of the Wissahickon heights in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The complex includes the Manor, Kenilworth and Cambridge towers, entrance halls, and a garage.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that Alden Park is a notable American interpretation of Le Corbusier's idea of a city of towers in a garden setting, combined with traditional English detailing. It contends the complex successfully accommodated modern life, including the automobile, and has been a landmark and popular residence for half a century.","narrative":"Alden Park is a cluster of six nine-story reinforced concrete apartment towers on about thirty acres of the Wissahickon heights in Philadelphia, arranged in groups of three, two and one. Built from 1925 under architect Edwin Rorke, the towers are faced in coarse ruddy brick with pink terra cotta bays and quoins, and their decoration draws on seventeenth-century Jacobean and Stuart English architecture. The Manor group centers on an octagonal entrance hall with oak wainscoting and wrought iron chandeliers, while the Kenilworth and Cambridge towers have smaller, related entrance rooms. The complex is regarded as an American version of Le Corbusier's Radiant City, combining apartment towers in a landscaped setting with the automobile, including a garage with service bays. Its traditional detailing made it appealing to residents, and the nomination credits this with the group's long popularity and its well-preserved interiors. Its towers also serve as a visible landmark above the tree line.","period_of_significance":"1925 ff.","architect_builder":"Edwin Rorke, Architect","architectural_style":"Jacobean and Stuart-inspired detailing with Collegiate Gothic influence","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The nomination states that the Justus Strawbridge Mansion, once integrated as a restaurant, recently burned to the ground and is no longer part of the group.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.973378-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003606.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003606/623acef06f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003606/623acef06f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alden_Park_Manor_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alden_Park_Manor_Philly.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72001151","name":"Fairmount Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/fairmount-park-72001151/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997218","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alden_Park_Manor","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4713564"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/alden-park-manor-80003606/"}