Registration for Programs

Lynmar Brock, Jr., In This Hospitable Land

Friday, May 18, 2012, 3:30 PM

When the Germans invaded Belgium in 1940, chemistry professor Andre Severin and his brother Alex take their families and flee south into France; but when the Germans take France, the family is caught in a rural farming community where they must rely on the locals for survival. Fortunately, individuals in the community are prepared to risk their own lives to protect the Jewish refugees and defy the pro-Nazi government. In this novel, based upon his wife’s experiences during World War II, Athenaeum member Lynmar Brock, Jr. gives us a story about courage and the search for a home in the midst of chaos. Refreshments and book signing to follow.

Free for Athenaeum Members. RSVP to Susan Gallo at 215-925-2688 or sgallo@philaathenaeum.org

Robert Morris Skaler, Society Hill and Old City

Thursday, June 7, 2012, 3:30 PM

In the 18th century, Society Hill was home to wealthy merchants and many members of the federal government. In Old City, artisans and workmen lived and worked in small row houses like those on Elfreth’s Alley. As Philadelphia developed, it abandoned its Colonial center. Almost forgotten by 1900, Society Hill’s once gracious houses had become run-down tenements, shops, and warehouses. Yet, at the same time, Society Hill remained Philadelphia’s banking and insurance center. Beginning in the 1960s, under the direction of city planner Edmund Bacon and the National Park Service, this neighborhood was restored. Society Hill and Old City documents how these two neighborhoods looked in the early 1900s. Robert Morris Skaler is an architect, architectural historian, and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. He is the author of West Philadelphia: University City to 52nd Street and Philadelphia’s Broad Street: South and North. Refreshments and book signing to follow.  

Free for Athenaeum Members. RSVP to Susan Gallo at 215-925-2688 or sgallo@philaathenaeum.org