Girard Estate building added to Philadelphia Register of Historic Places

As posted in this month’s Preservation Alliance E-News Update:

Historic Designation for Girard Building
On December 12, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to approve designation of the Stephen Girard Building (1896) at 21 South 12th Street.  The building was designed by James Hamilton Windrim (1840-1919), who also designed the Masonic Temple, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and many buildings on the campus of Girard College.  Commissioned by the Board of City Trusts/Estate of Stephen Girard, the building on 12th Street is thought to be the earliest extant example of the skyscraper form in Philadelphia and a driving force in the shift of private enterprise and city business toward the new City Hall location.
Also added to the Philadelphia Register were John Torrey Windrim’s Bell Telephone Building (1914-1916) at 1631-37 Arch Street and the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Building (1907-08) at 1201 Spruce Street, which was designed by the firm of Watson & Huckel as national headquarters for the largest African-American society in the country.