“Philadelphia Mansions”: Probing the Edifice Complex
By Richard Lord
Contributing writer, The Philadelphia Free Press
By Richard Lord
Contributing writer, The Philadelphia Free Press
Did
you know that the infamous Reverend Jim Jones, instigator of the Jonestown
Massacre, was once a resident of this area? That he came with 200 members of
his West Coast-based People’s Temple and tried to assume control of the mission
run by Father and Mother Divine?
Did you know that the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes once visited a home in Lansdowne, ostensibly to negotiate sale of a track of land to the Philadelphia Archdiocese for the construction of Nazareth Hospital, but wound up giving the land to the Archdiocese free of charge? Or that Mount Pleasant mansion was purchased by Benedict Arnold as a wedding present for his wife? Or that men in the late 19th century wore disposable paper collars on their dress shirts, and one fortune spawned by those items financed one of the region’s most impressive mansions and surrounding estates?
Did you know that the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes once visited a home in Lansdowne, ostensibly to negotiate sale of a track of land to the Philadelphia Archdiocese for the construction of Nazareth Hospital, but wound up giving the land to the Archdiocese free of charge? Or that Mount Pleasant mansion was purchased by Benedict Arnold as a wedding present for his wife? Or that men in the late 19th century wore disposable paper collars on their dress shirts, and one fortune spawned by those items financed one of the region’s most impressive mansions and surrounding estates?
I
myself was unware of any of these fascinating facts until I delved into
“Philadelphia Mansions” by Thom Nickels. It’s a book packed tight with such
facts, some offered simply as delectable nuggets, others (like the Jim Jones
and Howard Hughes stories) presented in rich detail.
As author Nickels says of this work, “It’s a book of stories.” But it’s also a book of storeys. Nickels takes us on an informed tour of many iconic Philly buildings as well as little-known treasures. He relates the problems faced by architects and builders who fought to challenge the ban on erecting any building whose height exceeded the peak of William Penn’s hat on City Hall. He also looks at the practical problems of making sure new buildings are structurally sound and/or not offensive to the prevailing aesthetic of its surroundings. More, he shows how buildings can change radically with the times, reflecting changes in tastes, in social mores, or in the shifting fortunes of the families that had them erected.
Nickels knows his stuff. An earlier Nickels book bore the title “Philadelphia Architecture”. I asked Thom Nickels where this interest in – and knowledge of – architecture came from. He explained that both flowed from a combination of “osmosis and ancestry”, as his grandfather and father were both architects. (The man who swayed Howard Hughes into gifting the Nazareth Hospital property to the Archdiocese was, in fact, Thom Nickels’ grandfather.)
As author Nickels says of this work, “It’s a book of stories.” But it’s also a book of storeys. Nickels takes us on an informed tour of many iconic Philly buildings as well as little-known treasures. He relates the problems faced by architects and builders who fought to challenge the ban on erecting any building whose height exceeded the peak of William Penn’s hat on City Hall. He also looks at the practical problems of making sure new buildings are structurally sound and/or not offensive to the prevailing aesthetic of its surroundings. More, he shows how buildings can change radically with the times, reflecting changes in tastes, in social mores, or in the shifting fortunes of the families that had them erected.
Nickels knows his stuff. An earlier Nickels book bore the title “Philadelphia Architecture”. I asked Thom Nickels where this interest in – and knowledge of – architecture came from. He explained that both flowed from a combination of “osmosis and ancestry”, as his grandfather and father were both architects. (The man who swayed Howard Hughes into gifting the Nazareth Hospital property to the Archdiocese was, in fact, Thom Nickels’ grandfather.)
As a
result, he grew up surrounded by drafting boards and blueprints. His father,
who always yearned to be a great architect, taught young Tom how to read
blueprints. More significantly, his father took him along on many surveying
trips. These trips had “a mystical/magical quality” to them and sowed the seeds
of a lifelong fascination with buildings and their origins.
It
was only Mathematics that kept Thom himself from becoming a third-generation
architect. He was bad at Math, and weakness in that key subject thwarted any
hopes of becoming an architect. Instead, he gravitated towards journalism.
But
it’s not only osmosis and ancestry that gives such authority to his writing
about architecture; Nickels also has done much reading in the subject. And as
he moved into the field of journalism, he found that he was well-equipped to
write about architecture, something he did for the Metro newspaper in its more
serious era and the resurrected Philadelphia Bulletin of the 1990s and early 21st
century.
The
idea for the Mansions book had actually been percolating in his head for some
time. So when he got the green light from a publisher, Nickels dived in
whole-heartedly to realize the project.
Much
of the research for this book already existed from those years as a journalist
reporting on architecture. By the time Nickels sat down to write his book, he
had assembled quite an archive from his earlier stints as a journalist. (Though
he admits that sometimes he needed to correct mistakes he found in those
personal archives.)
In
addition to his personal archives, Nickels found he needed to carry out
one-and-a-half years of new research. This involved both combing through
municipal and corporate archives and face-to-face interviews as well as phone
interviews. Though the interviews generally proceeded smoothly, there were a
few occasions when people refused to share stories or facts with him as his
research started scratching on closets where some family skeletons were stored.
When
he ponders architecture and the aesthetics of buildings, Thom Nickels clearly
has preferences – some may even call them biases. He’s not at all reluctant to express strong
likes and dislikes or extol the many splendors of pet projects. But
his expressions are never nasty or even petulant; they actually add welcome
dashes of spice to the narrative.
One
particular passage in the book can serve as a guide to the author’s approach
and a key to the appeal of the work for the layperson as well as the maven:
“When we work in a building for years, sleep in it at night, worship in it once
a week or take classes in it for years, afterward something of us – a part of
consciousness – remains in the stucco, cinderblock or carved mahogany. A memory
or impression is left. Return to a beloved building from childhood and you will
still feel something in the walls reaching out to you.”
His
writing projects keep Thom Nickels rather busy. He’s already published over a
dozen books, including a rundown of the Johnny Bobbit scam, published in
October 2018, shortly after “Philadelphia Mansions” came out. (Bobbit was the
homeless man who supposedly gave his last $20 to a couple who had run out of
gas. A GoFundMe campaign to “help Bobbit” netter $400,000, most of which was
spent on luxury goods and expensive trips for the trio.)
And Nickels is already at work on his next book. His first idea was to produce a book about the adopted son of Father and Mother Divine. (The son had to be adopted, as ALL members of the Divines’ mission must commit themselves to total sexual abstinence. Sex is forbidden even in the service of procreation.)
While the Divine son’s story is interesting in its own right, Nickels came to view it as just one of many intriguing gems to be found in the realm of religious cults. When a publisher approached Nickels and asked what book he might write for them, both sides quickly agreed that an in-depth look at religious cults in Philly could be a sure success. The book now has a scheduled publication date of early 2020.
And Nickels is already at work on his next book. His first idea was to produce a book about the adopted son of Father and Mother Divine. (The son had to be adopted, as ALL members of the Divines’ mission must commit themselves to total sexual abstinence. Sex is forbidden even in the service of procreation.)
While the Divine son’s story is interesting in its own right, Nickels came to view it as just one of many intriguing gems to be found in the realm of religious cults. When a publisher approached Nickels and asked what book he might write for them, both sides quickly agreed that an in-depth look at religious cults in Philly could be a sure success. The book now has a scheduled publication date of early 2020.
