Garden Court Historic District

Garden Court is a West Philadelphia residential district built largely in the decade after World War I under developer Clarence Siegel, who began acquiring the Drexel Company and Eli K. Price holdings in 1919. Its streets and rear service lanes separated automobiles and service traffic from the main streets, with garages at the rear of nearly every house. Apartment houses, large detached residences, doubles and rowhouses are arranged in a hierarchy, with the largest buildings on the north edge. The houses share a palette of sand-colored and red brick, stucco, half-timber and tile, reflecting Arts and Crafts and Tudor-influenced styles. John T. Coneys designed the Garden Court apartments in 1922, and Ralph B. Bencker designed the Garden Court Plaza, whose first tower and garage were completed before the Depression halted the project. The district is regarded as a significant example of 1920s community planning and architecture in Philadelphia.