Chestnut Hill architecture design exhibit opens

by Lucille Carson

The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania this week opened "Only Controversial and Not Detrimental," an exhibit celebrating the legacy of modern design in Chestnut Hill. Absorbed by the city of Philadelphia in 1854, this "suburb in the city,” all area residents know, features a rich variety of houses dating from the 18th century to the present. The work of the best designers of the region and beyond is represented in Chestnut Hill, where the range of building scales brings together large estates and twin houses in relatively close proximity.

On view in the archives' Kroiz Gallery through May, 2004, "Only Controversial and Not Detrimental" includes drawings, photographs and models representing Chestnut Hill modernism from the late 1940s through the 1980s. These works, created by internationally renowned modern architects such as Louis I. Kahn, Robert Venturi, Richard Neutra and Mitchell/Giurgola, have influenced modern design throughout the world. Other architects represented in the exhibit include John Lane Evans, G. Holmes Perkins, Montgomery & Bishop, and Thomas A. Todd. Many of these materials have never been exhibited before.

The residential architecture in Chestnut Hill in the period after the Depression represents two broad tendencies, which in turn indicate important strains in what has come to be called the “Philadelphia School.” The first tendency is the enduring importance of the region's traditional forms. The second is an emphasis on traditional materials — stone, wood, stucco and brick. It is remarkable that the two strains of Chestnut Hill Modernism came together in what has been called “the most significant house of the second half of the 20th century,” the Vanna Venturi House (1959-64), designed by Mt. Airy architect Robert Venturi as a residence for his mother.

This exhibit is presented in conjunction with a project sponsored by the Chestnut Hill Historical Society to create a preservation easement for the Vanna Venturi House, supported by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.

The Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania, Kroiz Gallery, Fisher Fine Arts Library Building, 220 S. 34th St. Hours: weekdays 10-5. Weekends by appointment. Admission is free. For more information, call 215-898-8323.