{"nrhp_refnum":"80003618","name":"Rafsnyder-Welsh House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1923 Spruce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94810967300003,"lon":-75.17385407199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-02-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story Pompeiian brick townhouse with red sandstone and terra-cotta trim at 1921 Spruce Street area of Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, remodeled in 1893-94 for Fannie DeLancey Welsh by New York architect Henry Edwards-Ficken. The original house was built circa 1855 by Edwin Rafsnyder.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of picturesque eclectic design by a noted New York architect not previously known to have worked in Philadelphia. Its remodeled facade stands out among neighboring dwellings and its history reflects changes in the surrounding neighborhood.","narrative":"Built circa 1855 by Edwin Rafsnyder as a four-story red brick dwelling on a large lot that gave it a side yard unusual for the block, the house was transformed in 1893 and 1894 into a picturesque eclectic townhouse on Spruce Street near Rittenhouse Square. Fannie DeLancey Welsh, a member of a prominent Philadelphia family, commissioned New York architect Henry Edwards-Ficken for the work. The new front combines red sandstone, terra-cotta putti caryatids, and a Flemish cross-gable set off center, with consoles, shells and quoins arranged in deliberately irregular patterns. The entrance has an elliptical arch and a layered pediment, and the second-floor windows include twin elliptical stained glass openings. The interior retains late-nineteenth-century woodwork, including a center hall with a tile fireplace and a carved mantelpiece. The house is significant as one of the few examples of Ficken's work in Pennsylvania and as an example of the ambitious remodeling that shaped this block.","period_of_significance":"c.1855/1893-94","architect_builder":"Henry Edwards-Ficken (architect, 1893); Edwin Rafsnyder (builder, c. 1855)","architectural_style":"Picturesque eclectic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Interior altered to offices in 1922 and apartments by 1959; fire tower built 1922.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.636729-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003618.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003618/3ba99475c2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003618/3ba99475c2-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rafsnyder-Welsh_House.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rafsnyder-Welsh_House.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87002203","name":"Center City West Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/center-city-west-commercial-historic-district-87002203/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997220","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafsnyder-Welsh_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15271257"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/rafsnyder-welsh-house-80003618/"}