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Fisher Fine Arts Library

1891 establishments in PennsylvaniaFrank Furness buildingsHistoric American Buildings Survey in PhiladelphiaIndividually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in PennsylvaniaLibraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
Library buildings completed in 1891NRHP infobox with nocatNational Historic Landmarks in PennsylvaniaUniversity and college academic libraries in the United StatesUniversity and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania campus
West facade of Furness Library, Univ. of Pennsylvania
West facade of Furness Library, Univ. of Pennsylvania

The Fisher Fine Arts Library was the primary library of the University of Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1962. The red sandstone, brick-and-terra-cotta Venetian Gothic giant—part fortress and part cathedral—was designed by the acclaimed Philadelphia architect Frank Furness (1839–1912). The cornerstone was laid in October 1888, construction was completed in late 1890, and the building was dedicated in February 1891.Following completion of the Van Pelt Library in 1962, it was renamed the Furness Building (after its architect), and housed the university's art and architecture collections. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.The Furness Building was renamed the Anne and Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Library following a 6-year, $16.5-million restoration, completed in 1991. It is located on the east side of College Green, at Locust Walk and 34th Street.

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Fisher Fine Arts Library
Grays Ferry Bridge Path, Philadelphia South Philadelphia

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N 39.951388888889 ° E -75.1925 °
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University of Pennsylvania

Grays Ferry Bridge Path
19104 Philadelphia, South Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, United States
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West facade of Furness Library, Univ. of Pennsylvania
West facade of Furness Library, Univ. of Pennsylvania
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Curtis Organ

The Curtis Organ, named for publisher Cyrus H.K. Curtis, is one of the largest pipe organs in the world with 162 ranks and 10,731 pipes. The concert organ, of American Symphonic design, was manufactured by the Austin Organ Company as its Opus 1416 in 1926 for the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exposition. It was known as the "Organists' Organ" because the specifications were formulated by Henry S. Fry, John M'E. Ward, Rollo F. Maitland, Frederick Maxson, and S. Wesley Sears, all prominent Philadelphia organists.Curtis acquired the instrument after the Exposition went bankrupt and donated it to the University of Pennsylvania, where it was divided into two halves and incorporated into Irvine Auditorium at the time of the building's construction. The organ contains the largest Universal Air Chest ever built by Austin. In its original configuration in the Auditorium building, the organ spread 75 feet across its platform at the Sesquicentennial Exposition. This pressurized room under the pipes allows access to the organ's pneumatic mechanisms while it is playing, and was touted as being able to seat 100 people to dinner comfortably. The organ's mechanical actions were renewed in the 1950s through the generosity of Mary Louise Curtis Bok Zimbalist, daughter of Cyrus H.K. Curtis and founder of The Curtis Institute of Music. In the later 1980s and early 1990s, the organ was connected to a customized MIDI interface, making it, at that time, the world's largest MIDI-capable instrument. In more recent times, the Austin Organ Company carried out a complete mechanical restoration of the organ (with a new console and relay system added), carefully preserving the organ's tonal integrity. It was rededicated in October 2002. In October 1972 Keith Chapman accompanied the Lon Chaney silent film "[The Phantom of the Opera]" as a fund-raiser for the organ that evolved into an annual campus Halloween event. Cyrus Curtis also gave an Austin organ to nearby Drexel University, and to the auditorium of City Hall in Portland, Maine.

Meyerson Hall
Meyerson Hall

Meyerson Hall is a building in West Philadelphia, and the site of the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. The building, designed by the architecture firm of Martin, Stewart, Noble & Class, was constructed in 1967 in reinforced concrete, brick cavity wall, and asbestos, with a total area of the building is 93,780 square feet (8,712 m2). It is named for Martin Meyerson, President of the University of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1981. Meyerson Hall is located at the corner of Walnut Street and South 34th Street in University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Immediately adjacent to the south is the Fisher Fine Arts Library, designed by Frank Furness and completed in 1890. Immediately to the west is the College Green, the heart of the University. The building currently houses the main offices of the following departments of the School of Design: Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, and City and Regional Planning. Fine Arts is the only department in the school not housed in Meyerson, and is located across 34th St. in the Morgan Building. The Basement contains the newly opened PennDesign Cafe, eight lecture halls, custodial staff support spaces, and the materials library. The Ground Floor contains the main lobby, Lower Gallery, faculty offices and the Operations and Planning office. The First Floor contains departmental offices for Landscape Architecture, Preservation, and Urban Planning, Dean's Alley critique space, the Upper Gallery, and offices for the Dean, Alumni Affairs, Admissions, and the Registrar. The Second Floor contains offices for Architecture, as well as studio space. The Third Floor contains two computer labs, a plotter room, student lounge (with vending machines), and additional architecture studio space. The Fourth Floor contains studios for Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation, the Architectural Conservation Laboratory, the Fabrication Laboratory, and the 4th Floor Hall critique space.