The birthplace of NFL films, a renowned furniture designer, locomotive manufacturer and William Penn family estate will be forever immortalized with state historical markers.
The Philadelphia Museum and Historical Commission today released its list of approved historical markers including seven in the Philadelphia area. The new markers will be added to the nearly 2,200 familiar signs that dot roads and streets across the state that tell the story of people and events in Pennsylvania.
Here's more on the Philadelphia area signs:
Bucks County
George Nakashima, Solebury Township. Considered one of the initiators of the American Craft Movement, he designed and built furniture in a unique style that combined Japanese craftsmanship, modernist aesthetic and appreciation of natural wood.
Philadelphia County
Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, in operation for more than 100 years, the company was the largest manufacturer of locomotives in the United States, producing locomotives for railroads across the nation and throughout the world.
Birthplace of NFL Films, Philadelphia. Beginning in 1962, NFL Films brought football into the forefront of popularity of American sports. Considered “one of the most effective propaganda organs in the history of corporate America,” its thorough documentation of NFL football is second only to that of World War II.
The Solitude, Philadelphia, country home of John Penn, William Penn’s grandson. An early example of neo-classical architecture, it incorporates many of the characteristics of the “Adam Style.”
Thomas E. Cahill, Philadelphia, founded Roman Catholic high school, the first free diocesan high school in the U.S. It served as a model for many Catholic and parochial schools across the nation.
Thomas Ustick Walter, Philadelphia. Architect of the Capitol dome in Washington DC, Walter was a successful neo-classical Philadelphia architect. He founded the American Institute of Architects and was instrumental in developing professional standards of architectural practice.
Wills Eye Institute, Philadelphia. The oldest facility in the United States for exclusively treating diseases of the eye, it has been consistently ranked among the finest in the nation. Many innovative treatments and procedures were developed there and its research has led to important discoveries.
Click here for Philly.com's politics page.
