Author: Skaler, Robert Morris,
Title: West Philadlephia: University City to 52nd Street: Images of America.
Description: Charleston, SC, Arcadia Pub, (2002). VG lg sz PB. The many neighborhoods west of the Schuylill River across from William Penn's "Quaker City" were distinctly rural until 1860. when horsecar lines first crossed the river. The area soon became home to wealthy businessmen who built elegant mansions and villas in University City and Powelton Village. West Philadelphia's growth accelerated northward into Belmont and Parkside-Grand after the 1876 Centennial Exposition and westward into Cedar Park, Spruce Hill, and Walnut Hill in the 1890s with the introduction of electric trolley lines. This the first photographic history of the area in the last 100 years tells the story of how Philadelphia became known as the "City of Homes", countless rarely seen photos of the streets where people lived and worked fill this extraordinary history. The author Skaler, a forensic architext and historian, has been collecting historical images of West Philadephia for more than 35 years. He is a past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Victorian Society in America and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Architecture.

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