Edmund Gilchrist - Knowledge (XXG)

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solves in a most satisfactory manner the housing problem of the "average man" which, in many communities, is quite as pressing as the industrial housing problem and, as an architectural publication pointed out in describing Linden Court, it is "veritably an exemplification of the truth that beauty pays and that there is no legitimate reason for the desolation of the usual speculative building."

175:, solved the problem of a gently sloping site with terraces, and the problem of back-yard access with covered alleyways. His innovative plan, acute sensitivity to public-versus-private space, and exquisite detailing was recognized as something extraordinary, and received national attention. The development was prominently featured in 757: 202:

The houses, which are of sand-faced brick with slate roofs, are grouped about three sides of a quadrangle 225 feet long by 125 feet deep. They have been pushed back far enough to leave ample space for an individual garden and common grass plot in the quadrangle, but not so far as to eliminate kitchen

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J. Warner Butterworth and F. Hemsley Levis residences, Germantown Avenue & Norman Lane, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1929-33. Butterworth built a manor house for himself, and one for his daughter and son-in-law. Only the Levis house at 10-12 Waterman Avenue remains. A contributing

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While the cost of development and the rents derived from it lifts it out of the class of the "average man's home"—the houses rent for about $ 50—many of the principles of planning and design which it illustrates are adaptable to lower-cost developments. On the other hand, it touches and

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Illustrative of the charm of grouped dwellings as one means of retaining uniformity without danger of monotony where a measure of standardization is necessary is a recent residential development known as Linden Court at St. Martin's near Philadelphia. In this the architect, Edmund B. Gilchrist, has

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Print Club of Philadelphia and Cosmopolitan Club, 1614-16 Latimer Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1927. Gilchrist altered a carriage house into the shared clubhouse. Next door, he altered the carriage house at 1618 Latimer into his architectural offices. A contributing property in

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achieved several interesting results. By advantageous groupings he was able to put six houses on a piece of land, which treated conventionally would have accommodated but four, or at most five, and he has done this without sacrificing privacy or desirable open space.

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yards. These yards have been surrounded by a brick wall high enough to secure privacy without cutting off light and air. The houses have six rooms each, the arrangement of which has been sufficiently varied as to give individuality to each home.

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Gilchrist and his wife Anita were among the original residents of Linden Court, moving into the unit at 111 West Willow Grove Avenue in 1915. They raised three sons, and lived there until his death in 1953.

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Hill Creek Park Homes, Adams & Rising Sun Avenues, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1936–38, under the direction of Walter H. Thomas, with Robert Rodes McGoodwin, and others. Public housing built under the

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Cotswold Village, (Hartwell Lane, Navajo Street, Lincoln Drive, Crefeld Street), Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1915–21, Dr. George Woodward, client. Part of the

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Dr. William W. Gilchrist residence, 102 West Mermaid Lane, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1908, Dr. George Woodward, client. A contributing property in

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Linden Court, 103-13 West Willow Grove Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1915, Dr. George Woodward, client. A contributing property in

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Pastorius Park Houses, 8001 Crefeld Street, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1913, Dr. George Woodward, client. A contributing property in

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development built in Chestnut Hill for Woodward and the Houston Estate. Gilchrist grouped brick double-houses around three sides of a

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William C. Kimber residence, 999 East Haines Street, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1914. A contributing property in

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Houston Estate Houses, West Allens Lane, Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1929–30, Dr. George Woodward, client.

376:, 1419-25 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1929. A 33-story Art Deco skyscraper. A contributing property in 294: 283: 67: 55: 821: 305: 172: 101:

to expand the planned community, building dozens of freestanding houses and attached houses grouped to look like

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Seltzer Development, 5711-21 and 5733-41 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1932-33. Nineteen rowhouses.

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development was 39 rental apartments designed to look like attached houses. A contributing property in

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and was one of the Philadelphia Housing Authority architects of the Hill Creek Housing Project (1937).

851: 846: 813: 370:. The mansion on 50.5 acres was offered for sale in June 2013 with an asking price of $ 24.5 million. 322: 279: 177: 113: 109: 94: 108:

In addition to suburban houses, Gilchrist designed summer houses (especially in Maine), churches, a

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store. The facade's first story drastically altered; the second and third stories mostly unaltered.

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Additions and alterations to Williamson House (William Lord Sexton residence), 44 High Street,

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Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1926-28.

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Elevation and plan for "Linden Court" (1915), Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Williamson House, Belfast, Maine. Gilchrist designed alterations to this 1842 house.

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skyscraper in Philadelphia, and an Art Deco retail store for the candy manufacturer

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residence), 610 St. Georges Road, Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1913-14.

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He was considered an expert on group housing. Working as an architect for the

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Retail Store, 1626 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1929. Now a

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Center City West Commercial Historic District (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

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city hall, and alterations to numerous residences. He designed a 33-story

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suburbs with sections designed by different architects. Gilchrist's

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Mill Creek Historic District (Bryn Mawr and Gladwyne, Pennsylvania)

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