The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, located at 219 S. 6th Street between St. James Place and Locust Street in the

Society Hill Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...

neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, is a special collections library and museum founded in 1814 to collect materials "connected with the history and antiquities of America, and the useful arts, and generally to disseminate useful knowledge" for public benefit."Mission and History"
on the Athenaeum of Philadelphia website The Athenaeum's collections include architecture and interior design history, particularly for the period 1800 to 1945. The institution focuses on the history of American architecture and building technology, and houses architectural archives of 180,000 drawings, over 350,000 photographs, and manuscript holdings of about 1,000 American architects. Since 1950 the Athenaeum has sponsored the annual Athenaeum Literary Award for works of fiction and non-fiction.

Historic building

The building was designed in 1845 by architect John Notman in the

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

, and was one of the first buildings in the city to be built of

brownstone Brownstone is a brown Triassic–Jurassic sandstone that was historically a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States and Canada to refer to a townhouse clad in this or any other aesthetically similar material. Type ...

, although it was originally planned to be faced in

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

– brownstone was used because it was cheaper. Notman's design was influenced by the work of the English architect

Charles Barry Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also respon ...

., p.51 The building was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

in 1976, as one of the nation's first examples of a building with a

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

-style facade, and for its historic importance as an educational institution. and Today, it is operated as a museum furnished with American fine and decorative arts from the first half of the nineteenth century. On the right of the athenaeum is the house of

Richardson Dilworth Richardson K. Dilworth (August 29, 1898 – January 23, 1974) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 91st mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962. He twice ran as the Democratic nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, in ...

, the

Mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelphia, ...

from 1956 to 1962.

Athenaeum Literary Award

The ''Athenaeum Literary Award'' is a literary award presented by Athenaeum of Philadelphia since 1950. It is awarded to authors who are "bona fide residents of Philadelphia or Pennsylvania living within a radius of 30 miles of City Hall".Athenaeum Literary Award
, official website. Eligible works are of general fiction or non-fiction; technical, scientific, and juvenile books are not included. The award was established in 1950 by

Charles Wharton Stork Charles Wharton Stork (12 February 1881 – 22 May 1971) was an American literary author, poet, and translator. Life Charles Wharton Stork was born in Philadelphia on 12 February 1881 to Theophilus Baker and Hannah (Wharton) Stork. He gradu ...

(1881–1971), who was a board member of the Athenaeum from 1919 until 1968. ;Recipients Source: Athenaeum Literary Award previous winners (1949–present) *1949 **John L. Lamonte, ''The World of the Middle Ages'' *1950 **Henry N. Paul, ''The Royal Play of Macbeth'' *1951 **Arthur Hobson Quinn, 'The Literature of the American People'' *1952 **Nicholas B. Wainwright, ''A Philadelphia Story'' *1953 ** Lawrence Henry Gipson, ''The Great War for the Empire 1760-1763, vol. 8, The Culmination, 1760-1763'' *1954 ** Davis Grubb, '' The Night of the Hunter'' *1955 **

Conyers Read Conyers Read (April 25, 1881 – December 24, 1959) was an American historian who specialized in the History of England in the 15th and 16th centuries. A professor of history at the universities of Chicago and Pennsylvania, he was president of t ...

, ''Mr. Secretary and Queen Elizabeth'' *1956 ** Livingston Biddle, Jr., ''The Village Beyond'' **

Samuel Noah Kramer Samuel Noah Kramer (September 28, 1897 – November 26, 1990) was one of the world's leading Assyriologists, an expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language. After high school, he attended Temple University, before Dropsie and Penn, both in ...

, ''From the Tablets of Summer'' *1957 **

Catherine Drinker Bowen Catherine Drinker Bowen (January 1, 1897 – November 1, 1973) was an American writer best known for her biographies. She won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1958. Biography Bowen was born Catherine Drinker on the Haverford College cam ...

, ''The Lion and the Throne'' **

Bettina Linn Mary Bettina Linn (1905 – April 7, 1962) was an American writer and college professor. She wrote three published novels, and was on the faculty at Bryn Mawr College. She worked with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. ...

, ''A Letter to Elizabeth'' *1958 ** Loren Eisley, ic''Darwin's Century'' ** Lyon Sprague DeCamp, ic'' An Elephant for Aristotle'' *1959 ** John Edwin Canaday, '' Mainstreams of Modern Art: David to Picasso'' *1960 ** Edwin Wolf II (with John F. Fleming), ''Rosenbach: a biography'' **David Taylor, ''Storm the Last Rampart'' *1961 **Roy F. Nichols, ''The Stakes of Power, 1845-1877'' **Lauren R. Stevens, ''The Double Axe'' *1962 **Curtis Bok, ''Maria'' **Carleton S. Coon, ''The Origin of Races'' **Richard S. Dunn, ''Puritans and Yankees'' *1963 ** Daniel Hoffman, ''The City of Satisfactions'' **

, ''The Sumerians'' *1964 ** Kristin Hunter, ''God Bless the Child'' **

Elizabeth Gray Vining Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining (October 6, 1902 – November 27, 1999) was an American professional librarian and author who tutored Emperor Akihito of Japan in English while he was crown prince. She was also a noted author, whose children's book ...

, ''Take Heed of Loving Me'' **Dorothy Shipley White, ''Seeds of Discord'' *1965 ** Laurence Davis Lafore, ''The Long Fuse'' *1966 **Edward S. Gifford, Jr., ''Father Against the Devil'' *1967 **Daniel P.Mannix, ''The Fox and the Hound'' **

Edmund N. Bacon Edmund Norwood Bacon (May 2, 1910October 14, 2005) was an American urban planner, architect, educator, and author. During his tenure as the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949 to 1970, his visions shaped to ...

, ''

Design of Cities ''Design of Cities'', first published in 1967, is an illustrated account of the development of urban form, written by Edmund Bacon (1910–2005), who was the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949 to 1970. The ...

'' *1968 **Ernest Penney Earnest, ''Expatriates and Patriots'' **Robert C. Smith, ''The Art of Portugal'' *1969 **

Henry Clarence Pitz Henry Clarence Pitz (June 16, 1895 – November 26, 1976) was an American artist, illustrator, editor, author, and teacher who wrote and/or illustrated over 160 books, and dozens of magazine covers and articles. His most well-known book is '' ...

, ''The Brandywine Tradition'' **

Chaim Potok Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book '' The Chosen'' (1967), was listed on ''The New York Times’'' best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies. Biography ...

, '' The Promise'' *1970 **No award *1971 ** Loren Eiseley, ''The Night Country'' *1972 ** Jerre Mangione, ''The Dream and the Deal'' *1973 **John Maas, ''The Glorious Enterprise'' *1974 ** John R. Coleman, '' Blue Collar Journal'' *1975 **Martin P. Snyder, ''City of Independence'' *1976 **No award *1977 **Seymour Adelman, ''The Moving Pageant'' **John Francis Marion, ''Famous and Curious Cemeteries'' **Barbara Rex, ''I Want to Be in Love Again'' *1978 **

Anthony F.C. Wallace Anthony Francis Clarke Wallace (April 15, 1923 – October 5, 2015) was a Canadian-American anthropologist who specialized in Native American cultures, especially the Iroquois. His research expressed an interest in the intersection of cultural ...

, ''Rockdale'' ** Peggy Anderson, ''Nurse'' **

, ''Being Seventy'' ** Jan V. Westcott, ''A Woman of Quality'' *1979 **

E. Digby Baltzell Edward Digby Baltzell Jr. (November 14, 1915 – August 17, 1996) was an American sociologist, academic and author. He studied the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant establishment and is credited with popularizing the acronym ''WASP''. He was also a b ...

, ''Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia'' **Richard J. Boyle, ''John Twachtman'' **Dorothy Shipley White, ''Black Africa and De Gaulle'' *1980 ** Arthur R.G. Solmssen, ''

A Princess in Berlin ''A Princess in Berlin'' is a 1980 historical novel by Arthur R.G. Solmssen. Plot Peter Ellis is a young American artist studying in Paris in 1922. His prominent Philadelphia family ends his funding to persuade him to return home to become a ...

'' **Lois G. Forer, ''Criminals and Victims'' ** James C. Humes, ''Churchill: Speaker of the Century'' *1981 ** David Bradley, ''The Chaneysville Incident'' ** Daniel Hoffman, ''Brotherly Love'' ** John A. Lukacs, ''Philadelphia, Patricians & Philistines, 1900-1950'' **Edgar P. Richardson, ''Charles Willson Peale and His World'' **

Russell F. Weigley Russell Frank Weigley ''(WY-glee)'' (July 2, 1930 – March 3, 2004) was the Distinguished University Professor of History at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a noted military historian. His research and teaching interests ...

, ''Eisenhower's Lieutenants'' *1982 **Susan Gray Detweiler, ''George Washington's Chinaware'' **Jean Seder, ''Voices of Kensington'' **Desmond Ryan, ''Deadlines'' **Seymour Shubin, ''The Captain'' **

David R. Slavitt David Rytman Slavitt (born 1935) is an American writer, poet, and translator, the author of more than 100 books. Slavitt has written a number of novels and numerous translations from Greek, Latin, and other languages. Slavitt wrote a number of ...

, ''Ringer'' *1983 **

Gerald Carson George Gerald "Gerry, Stub" Carson (October 10, 1903 — November 9, 1956) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 261 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers and Montreal M ...

, ''The Dentist and the Empress'' **Helen H. Gemmill, ''E.L., the Bread Box Papers'' *1984 ** Roland M. Frye, ''The Renaissance Hamlet'' **Jean Gordon Lee, ''Philadelphians and the China Trade, 1784-1844'' **Philip Chadwick Foster Smith, ''The Empress of China'' *1985 **

Ralph Keyes Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, ''Chancing It'' **Thomas Maeder, ''Crime and Madness'' **

Carroll Smith-Rosenberg Carroll Smith-Rosenberg is an American academic and author who is the Mary Frances Berry Collegiate Professor of History, American Culture, and Women's Studies, Emerita, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Smith-Rosenberg is known for her ...

, ''Disorderly Conduct'' *1986 **

David Eisenhower Dwight David Eisenhower II (born March 31, 1948) is an American author, public policy fellow, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and eponym of the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David. He is the grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenho ...

, ''Eisenhower: At War, 1943-1945'' **

Julie Nixon Eisenhower Julie Nixon Eisenhower ( Nixon; born July 5, 1948) is an American author who is the younger daughter of former U.S. president Richard Nixon and his wife Pat Nixon. Her husband David is the grandson of former U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower ...

, ''Pat Nixon'' **Michael Malone, ''Handling Sin'' ** Barry Schwartz, ''The Battle for Human Nature'' *1987 **No award *1988 **Marilyn Gaull, ''English Romanticism'' **

Barbara Holland Barbara Murray Holland (April 5, 1933 – September 7, 2010) was an American author who wrote in defense of such modern-day vices as cursing, drinking, eating fatty food and smoking cigarettes, as well as a memoir of her time spent growing up ...

, ''The Name of the Cat'' **

John Allen Paulos John Allen Paulos (born July 4, 1945) is an American professor of mathematics at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has gained fame as a writer and speaker on mathematics and the importance of mathematical literacy. Paulos write ...

, '' Innumeracy'' *1989 **

Coral Lansbury Coral Magnolia Lansbury (14 October 1929 – 3 April 1991) was an Australian-born feminist writer and academic. Working in the United States from 1969 until her death, she became Distinguished Professor of English and Dean of Graduate Studies at ...

, ''The Grotto'' ** Emily W. Sunstein, ''Mary Shelley'' ** James Snyder, ''Medieval Art'' *1990 **Matthews Masayuki Hamabata, ''Crested Kimono'' **

Camille Paglia Camille Anna Paglia (; born April 2, 1947) is an American feminist academic and social critic. Paglia has been a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1984. She is critical of many aspects of modern cultu ...

, ''

Sexual Personae ''Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson'' is a 1990 work about sexual decadence in Western literature and the visual arts by scholar Camille Paglia, in which she addresses major artists and writers such as Donate ...

'' **

Paul Halpern Paul Halpern (; born 1961) is an American author and Professor of Physics at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Life Halpern received a Ph.D in theoretical physics, an M.A. in physics and a B.A. in physics and mathematics. He was als ...

, ''Time Journeys'' **Ora Mendels, ''A Taste for Treason'' *1991 **Art Carey, ''The United States of Incompetence'' **Elizabeth Johns, ''American Genre Painting'' ** Roger Lane, ''William Dorsey's Philadelphia and Ours'' *1992 **Arthur Power Dudden, ''The America Pacific'' *1993 **Seymour I. Toll, ''A Judge Uncommon'' **Susan Q. Stranahan, ''Susquehanna, River of Dreams'' *1994 **

Paul Fussell Paul Fussell Jr. (22 March 1924 – 23 May 2012) was an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings cover a variety of topics, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentar ...

, ''The Anti-Egotist'' ** Steve Lopez, ''Third and Indiana'' ** Barry Schwartz, ''The Costs of Living'' *1995 **

Thomas Childers Thomas Childers Jr. (born 1946) is an American historian and lecturer. He was hired by the University of Pennsylvania in 1976 and in 2017 as Professor Emeritus. Childers was born and raised in Cleveland, Tennessee. He later attended the University ...

, ''Wings of Morning'' **

Witold Rybczynski Witold Rybczynski (born 1 March 1943) is a Canadian American architect, professor and writer. He is currently the Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor Emeritus of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. Early life Rybczynski was born in E ...

, ''City Life'' ** Susan Stewart, ''The Forest'' *1996 **Peter Conn, ''Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography'' ** Diane McKinney-Whetstone, ''Tumbling'' *1997 **A.C. Elias, Jr., ''Memoirs of Laetitia Pilkington'' **Kathleen A. Foster and Kenneth Finkel, ''Captain Watson's Travels in America'' **

David P. Silverman David P. Silverman is an American archaeologist and Egyptologist. He received an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University where he majored in art history. He later studied Egyptology as a graduate student at the University of Chicago whe ...

, ''Ancient Egypt'' ** Mary Walton, ''Car'' *1998 **

James J. O'Donnell James Joseph O'Donnell (born 1950) is a classical scholar and University Librarian at Arizona State University. He formerly served as University Professor at Georgetown University (2012-2015) and as Provost of Georgetown University from 2002– ...

, ''Avatars of the Word'' **

Leonard Warren Leonard Warren (April 21, 1911 – March 4, 1960) was an American opera singer. A baritone, he was a leading artist for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Especially noted for his portrayals of the leading baritone roles in ...

, ''Joseph Leidy: The Last Man Who Knew Everything'' *1999 **J. Welles Henderson & Rodney P. Carlisle, ''Jack Tar: A Sailor's Life, 1750–1910'' **

, ''A Clearing In The Distance'' **

Jonathan Weiner Jonathan Weiner (born November 26, 1953) is an American writer of non-fiction books based on his biological observations, focusing particularly on evolution in the Galápagos Islands, genetics, and the environment. His latest book is ''Long for ...

, ''Time, Love, Memory'' *2000 **Susan Sidlauskas, ''Body, Place, and Self in Nineteenth-Century Painting'' **Patricia Tyson Stroud, ''The Emperor of Nature; Charles-Lucien Bonaparte and His World'' **George E. Thomas, ''William L. Price; Arts and Crafts to Modern Design'' **

Ben Yagoda Ben Yagoda (born 22 February 1954) is an American writer and educator. He is a professor of journalism and English at the University of Delaware. Early life Born in New York City to Louis Yagoda (1909-1990), a labor mediator and arbitrator with ...

, ''About Town; The New Yorker and the World It Made'' *2001 **No award. *2002 **

Jane Golden Jane Golden is an American artist who has been an active mural painter since the 1970s. Background and education Following graduation from Stanford University, Golden moved to Los Angeles and created a number of large, well received murals in ...

, Robin Rice & Monica Yant Kinney, ''Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell'' **Charlene Mires, ''Independence Hall in American Memory'' *2003 **Jack Repcheck, ''The Man Who Found Time'' *2004 ** Roger W. Moss, ''Historic Sacred Places of Philadelphia'' *2005 **

Kermit Roosevelt Kermit Roosevelt Military Cross, MC (October 10, 1889 – June 4, 1943) was an American businessman, soldier, explorer, and writer. A son of Theodore Roosevelt, the List of Presidents of the United States, 26th President of the United States, K ...

, ''In the Shadow of the Law'' *2006 **David Traxel, ''Crusader Nation: The United States in Peace and the Great War, 1898–1920'' *2007 ** Jon Clinch, ''Finn: A Novel'' *2008 ** Walter A. McDougall, ''Throes of Democracy: The American Civil War Era, 1829–1877'' *2009 **

Richard Beeman Richard Roy Beeman (May 6, 1942 – September 6, 2016) was an American historian and biographer specializing in the American Revolution. Born in Seattle, he published multiple books, and was the John Walsh Centennial Professor of History at the U ...

, ''Plain, Honest Men: The Making of The American Constitution'' *2010 **Robin Black, ''If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This: Stories'' **

Stephen Fried Stephen Fried is an American investigative journalist, non-fiction author, essayist and adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the University of Pennsylvania. His first book, ''Thing of Beauty: The Traged ...

, ''Appetite For America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire that Civilized the West'' *2011 **No award. *2012 **Liz Moore, ''Heft: A Novel'' **Steven Ujifusa, ''A Man and His Ship: America’s Greatest Naval Architect and His Quest to Build the S. S. United States'' **Robert McCracken Peck and Patricia Tyson Stroud, ''A Glorious Enterprise: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Making of American Science'' *2013 ** Adrian Raine, ''The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime'' **George H. Marcus and William Whitaker, ''The Houses of Louis Kahn'' *2014 **Jessica Choppin Roney, ''Governed By A Spirit of Opposition'' *2015 **David Grazian, ''American Zoo: A Sociological Safari'' **Barbara Miller Lane, ''Houses for a New World: Builders and Buyers in American Suburbs'' *2016 ** Gino Segre and Bettina Hoerlin, ''The Pope of Physics'' ** Judith E. Stein, ''Eye of the Sixties'' *2017 **

Erica Armstrong Dunbar Erica Armstrong Dunbar is an American historian at Rutgers University. She is a distinguished Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers. An historian of African American women and the antebellum United States, Dunbar is the author o ...

, "Never Caught: the Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge" **Carol Eaton Soltis, "The Art of the Peales in the Philadelphia Museum of Art" *2018 **

Madeline Miller Madeline Miller (born July 24, 1978) is an American novelist, author of ''The Song of Achilles'' (2011) and ''Circe'' (2018). Miller spent ten years writing ''The Song of Achilles'' while she worked as a teacher of Latin and Greek. The novel tell ...

, ''

Circe Circe (; grc, , ) is an enchantress and a minor goddess in ancient Greek mythology and religion. She is either a daughter of the Titan Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse or the goddess Hecate and Aeëtes. Circe was renowned for her vas ...

'' **Patrick Spero, ''Frontier Rebels: the Fight for Independence in the American West, 1765-1776'' *2019 **Edward Posnett, ''Strange Harvests'' **

, ''Charleston Fancy'' *2020 **Michele Harper, ''The Beauty in Breaking'' **Lynn Miller and Therese Dolan, ''Salut! France Meets Philadelphia'' *2021 **Quiara Alegria Hudes, ''My Broken Language'' ** Miles Orvell, ''Empire of Ruins''

References

Notes

External links

*
Athenaeum Literary Award
, official website. * {{Authority control Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia 1814 establishments in Pennsylvania National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Cultural infrastructure completed in 1845 Art museums and galleries in Philadelphia Decorative arts museums in the United States Organizations based in Philadelphia History of Philadelphia Society Hill, Philadelphia

Historic building

Athenaeum Literary Award

See also

References

External links