Athenaeum of Philadelphia

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a special collections library founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit. The Athenaeum's collections include architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945. The institution focuses on the history of American architecture and building technology, and houses architectural archives of 180,000 drawings, 350,000+ photographs, and manuscript holdings of about 1,000 American architects. The library is open to the public on weekdays. The Anthenaeum sponsors the annual Athenaeum Literary Award. The...