Philadelphia is thick with American firsts. Some—including the first zoo, first hospital, first public library, first university, first computer—are well known. Others are not and are here to be appreciated: Girl Scout cookies were originally baked by a commercial bakery here and “American Bandstand” was born in a West Philadelphia TV studio. This Used to Be Philadelphia goes deep inside the buildings, monuments, and familiar sights of the city to uncover its rich history, layer by layer. This book will introduce you to the city’s first residents, the Lenni Lenape, the tireless workers who made this “the Workshop of the World,” and the current residents who love all of these stories as told through the spaces they have filled. Learn how buildings from the 1876 World’s Fair, the first to be held in the U.S., are used today. Appreciate the city’s creative adaptive reuse projects, including a former technical school turned office space with a rooftop bar and the railroad headquarters that’s now artists’ studios. Take a colorful tour of the city’s bygone days with local sisters Natalie and Tricia Pompilio. You’ll never look at an old building in Philadelphia the same way again.

Philadelphia Neighborhoods, a compendium of historic views of the major residential sections of Philadelphia, presents a snapshot into the past when old neighborhoods were not so old and when currently established ones were as yet new construction. Through the medium of postcards, readers are invited back to an era before automobiles dominated the streets, before many city roads were paved, and when the local grocery store was not located in a mall. Using chapters divided into subsections that detail the various regions of North, South, Southwest, and West Philadelphia, as well as the "new" Northeast Philadelphia, the author chronicles the vibrant, diverse communities that have helped shape the city's rich history.

Establishing a community/ building an economy : beginnings to 1800 -- Community good/manufacturing city : 1800-1865 -- Industry triumphant/civic failure : 1865-1930 -- Economic decline/community turmoil : 1930-1980 -- Struggling toward the post-industrial city : 1980-2015

In over 130 photographs and drawings, this superb book celebrates the architecture of Philadelphia's theaters from the candlelight and gaslight eras to the fabulous legitimate theaters and movie palaces of the 20th century.

This opulent volume, by the author and photographer of the acclaimed Historic Houses of Philadelphia, will serve as a guide through the architectural and religious traditions of Philadelphia, complete with maps, telephone numbers, and web sites.