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Chamounix (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Federal architecture in PennsylvaniaHouses completed in 1856Houses in Fairmount ParkHouses on the National Register of Historic Places in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Register of Historic Places
West Fairmount Park
Chamounix
Chamounix

Chamounix is a historic home located in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Federal-style house was built in 1802 by George Plumsted who was a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, then enlarged to nearly double its original size by subsequent owners after 1853. Chamounix is a 2½-story stuccoed stone dwelling measuring 45 feet long and 47 feet deep, featuring a hipped roof with dormers and a porch on three sides with decorative iron supports. The house served as a country retreat until it was appropriated by the state via eminent domain in 1869 to become a part of Fairmount Park, from which time it was used in various ways including as a boarding house, a restaurant, and a refreshment stand. After years of neglect and then fire damage, the Fairmount Park Commission decided to demolish Chamounix; however, a committee of the former American Youth Hostels (AYH, now HI USA) successfully petitioned to save it and, since 1964, it has served as an international youth hostel.Chamounix was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Chamounix (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Chamounix (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Chamounix Drive, Philadelphia

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.003777777778 ° E -75.196277777778 °
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Address

Chamounix Hostel (Chamounix Mansion)

Chamounix Drive 3250
19131 Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, United States
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Chamounix
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Nearby Places

Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct

The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, Schuylkill River Viaduct, also called the Reading Railroad Bridge and the Falls Rail Bridge, is a stone arch bridge that carries rail traffic over the Schuylkill River at Falls of Schuylkill (East Falls) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located in Fairmount Park, the bridge also spans Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive, and Kelly Drive. The name Philadelphia & Reading Railroad (P&R) was later shortened to Reading Company. The current bridge replaced an adjacent P&R bridge, built of wood. Prior to that, one of the earliest suspension bridges in the United States, the 1808 Chain Bridge at Falls of Schuylkill (collapsed 1816), was built at this location. That was replaced by an 1818 covered bridge, built on the chain bridge's abutments, which washed away in 1822.The P&R built the viaduct, 1853–56, to carry coal cars to the company's coal terminal on the Delaware River in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia. The bridge's design is unusual. Because it crosses the river at an oblique angle, it was constructed as a ribbed skew arch bridge, with each span composed of a series of offset stone arches. While not as strong as skewed barrel vault spans, these spans were much easier to build, while still assuring that the bridge's abutments were parallel to the water flow. The bridge consists of six main spans, each 78 feet (24 m) in length, crossing the river and Kelly Drive; five small arches, each 9 feet (2.7 m) in length, for pedestrian traffic; and a 30-foot (9.1 m) arch over Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive. The bridge's spandrel walls were reinforced in 1935. The bridge continues to carry rail traffic to this day.