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Holding Information

Collection: Thomas Ustick Walter Collection

Institution: Athenaeum of Philadelphia

MARC Description:
Title identification, and date confirmation taken from a photograph of another version of drawing WTU*022*001, owned by Fidelity Bank, and located at the Free Library of Philadelphia. That drawing identifies Walter as the architect in 1840, and Koecker as the delineator of the drawing in 1841. Five of the six drawings cataloged here, from the Athenaeum's Walter Archives, are garden or building details. Two of these are dated 1840, and the others undated. Walter's diary entries begin on June 12, 1838 "for James Dundas, to a design for a mansion in the Corinthin order, including drawings ..." and continue into Aug. 1841. This suggests that drawings dated in 1838 existed, but that the drawings at hand are probably from 1840 or 1841. A letter, also in the Walter Archives, dated Feb. 3, 1840, shows yet another iron detail drawing, with a note suggesting its similarity to Mr. Newkirk's railing. See drawings for Walter's house for Matthew Newkirk, cataloged separately. The Dundas-Lippincott Mansion, also known as the "Yellow Mansion" because of the yellow rough cast plaster covering the brick house, may be one of the most often published images of residences of its era. Massey (1964) Two centuries of Philadelphia architectural drawings, p. 37-38, gives a description of the house, noting that the mansion was built on the site of the Vauxhall Amusement Gardens. 100 years in Philadelphia : the Evening Bulletin's anniversary book(1947), p.28 shows a rear view of the house, wall & gardens located between Walnut & Sansom St. (then George St.) King's views of Philadelphia(1902), p.90, shows the house from the South Broad St. perspective, in the context of its grander neighbors, including City Hall, the 22-story North American Building, the Girard Trust Building, the Stratford, the Land Title, and the Union Club buildings. Looney(1976) Old Philadelphia in early photographs, 1839-1914, p.175, states that the mansion was built in 1839 by James Dundas, a banker and demolished in 1903 (1901, 1902, or 1909 in the other sources above). An unpublished student paper (1988) by Andrew Goldfrank, located at the Athenaeum, gives a chain of title, which shows that the house passed to Dundas niece, Agnes Dundas Lippincott, upon his death in 1865. It was sold by the widow of Agnes' son, James, to the Broad Street Realty Company in July 1905. Photo & map documents cited in the Goldfrank paper suggest that demolition began immediately, with the construction on the site of a office building & the Forrest Theater. According to Athenaeum files, in Mar. 1927, these 1905 buildings were demolished to make way for construction of the Fidelity Philadelphia Trust Building, Simon & Simon, architects, which still stands there.

Quantity: 7 drawings : mixed media ; 63.5 x 46 cm.

Local Call: WTU*022

RLIN: PAPV93-F469

Item dates: 1840-1841

Holding types: Drawings

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Documented Projects

• Dundas-Lippincott House
  Client: Dundas, James
   

Documented Architects, Engineers, and Others

• Walter, Thomas Ustick (1804-1887) (Architect)

Location

Broad St near S JUNIPER ST, WALNUT ST, and SANSOM ST
Philadelphia, PA

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Image Gallery

[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Perspective (Thomas Ustick Walter, Architect, 1839) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*007	[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Detail of pedestal for garden (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1/1/1840) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*004	[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Detail of finish for attic window (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1840) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*005
[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Detail of capital of antae-saloon (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1840) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*006	[Jas. Dundas Mansion] 1st Floor Plan (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1838) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*001	[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Details of yard wall and railing (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1838) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*002
[Jas. Dundas Mansion] Details of head for upper railing (T. U. Walter, Architect, 1838) Thomas Ustick Walter Collection, Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Local ID #: WTU*022*003

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