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Exhibition poster
Black and white architectural drawing of building
Photograph of buildings in Philadelphia
Black and white architectural drawing of building
Image of row houses in Philadelphia
Black and white architectural drawing of building
room with chair and spiral staircase
Axonometric drawing by Natalie Cheng (Class of 2027). An eighteenth-century house restored in the 1960s as a residence for staff of Independence National Historical Park. Architect John Arnold Bower Sr., working with National Park Service preservationists including Penelope Batcheler, led the restoration effort.
Photograph of Denise Scott Brown’s apartment in I. M. Pei’s Society Hill Towers (1970), researched by Aidan Ginor (Class of 2027).
Axonometric drawing by Jack Rogers (Class of 2026). Kellogg House (1968–1970), designed by Hans G. Egli.
Photograph of the north façade (David Hirsch, 1975) of the Locust Street Townhouses, designed by Louis Sauer (1968), with Society Hill Towers in the background, researched by Sofiia Limakova (Class of 2027).
Axonometric drawing by Patricia Martinez (Class of 2027). McKone House (1972–1973), designed by Giovanni Cosco.
Photograph of the primary bedroom and living room of the Kaplan House (1977), designed by Lorna Latz and documented while Arthur Kaplan lived there, researched by Joshua Lechter (Class of 2027).

Housing Society Hill: An Open Environmental Archive

Exhibition Opening
Friday, April 10, 2026
5:30 pm

Ground Floor, Meyerson Hall, 210 S. 34th Street, Philadelphia

Open to Penn Students and Faculty Only
Presented By

About

The exhibition is co-curated by Vanessa Grossman, Assistant Professor of Architecture, and William Whitaker, Director of the Architectural Archives at the University of Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Clarisse Figueiredo, PhD student and Presidential Fellow in the History and Theory of Architecture, and the following undergraduate students: Sara Asa, Natalie Cheng, Aashish Codada, Valentina Conde, Julia DiMeo, Sky Donohue, Aidan Ginor, Giancarlo Guastaferro, Lauren Johnson, Jordan Simone Reed, Josh Lechter, Sofiia Limakova, Patricia Martinez, Ella Neskora, Madeline Oh, Jack Rogers, Tarini Ruia, and Emmi Wu.

The project emerges from ARCH 3110: Architecture and the Environment, an undergraduate course co-taught by Vanessa Grossman and William Whitaker. The course combines historical research with exhibition-making to examine the environmental histories of housing architecture in Philadelphia’s Society Hill. Designed by Clarisse Figueiredo in collaboration with Master of Architecture student Ryan Thomas Lane, the exhibition reflects a collective engagement with the Architectural Archives through an environmental lens, supported by Rashida Ng, Presidential Associate Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Architecture.

The opening will also mark the inauguration of Gallery G, an exhibition corridor on the ground floor of Meyerson Hall dedicated to Philadelphia and the Architectural Archives. It will coincide with the Weitzman Student Council “Dept. of Rhythms” All-School Happy Hour from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

If you require any accessibility accommodation, such as live captioning, audio description, or a sign language interpreter, please email news@design.upenn.edu. Please note, we require at least five (5) business days’ notice.