Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices
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Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices)
1925–1926, Zantzinger, Borie and Medary; 2002–2007, Gluckman Mayner Architects. 2600 Fairmount Ave.
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Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson) -
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices) (Richard Guy Wilson)
The Perelman Building of the Philadelphia Museum of Art ( PH123) began life as the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company, which was designed, prophetically enough, by two of the museum's architects, Zantzinger and Borie. It takes the form of a splayed U with two great archways, one containing the main entrance, the other carrying the building over a minor street. The facade is overlaid with bits of medieval iconography that express the purpose of insurance: the parapet is adorned with opossums, squirrels, and pelicans—all creatures that care for their offspring or save for the future—while images of Fidelity and Frugality, as well as faithful resting dogs, grace each side of the main entrance, representing virtues associated with the insurance industry. Finally, contemporary industry is emblemized in the panels above the door. All are by Lee Lawrie, the brilliant Moderne sculptor known best for his work on Bertram Goodhue's contemporary Nebraska State Capitol.
Writing Credits
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Data
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Location: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRegional Overviews:Architect:Styles:no metadata availableMaterials:
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Citation
George E. Thomas, "Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building (Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Offices)", [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-02-PH124.
Print Source
Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, George E. Thomas, with Patricia Likos Ricci, Richard J. Webster, Lawrence M. Newman, Robert Janosov, and Bruce Thomas. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 114-114.
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