Researching Historical Buildings

Interactive historical maps of Philadelphia. This site contains thousands of old maps, property atlases, city directories, industrial site surveys, and other items documenting the history and development of the city from the 1600s through today.

This is a subject guide on the history of American architecture, with links to digital exhibits on the history of the built environment in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the US.

OwlWalk is a prototype digital walking tour of Temple University's main campus. Its purpose is to introduce users to places on and near campus wherein we can explore Temple's complicated past.

Provides authoritative information on three centuries of Philadelphia buildings and designers, incorporating data and images from the collections of more than 25 Philadelphia-area repositories.
Need to create a free account to use the database.

Digital historical maps from 1843-1962 with accompanying historical photos.

Includes the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, which is an inventory of historic resources that have been designated by the Philadelphia Historical Commission

Published weekly between January 1886 and November 1940, the Builders' Guide is a rich published source for documenting buildings in Philadelphia, containing hundreds of of thousands of specific building references as well as statistical and editorial analysis of the building trades during the city's most dramatic period of growth.

Search for historical photos of Philadelphia locations by address or place name.

Photographs from circa 1929-1982. Search by location, name, etc.

The digital collection displays images produced for the Housing Association of the Delaware Valley (previously the Philadelphia Housing Association), circa 1897-1972. It includes housing interiors and exteriors, streets, courts, alleys, public housing projects, privy vaults, and sanitation conditions.

The photographs date from 1890 to 1930 and mainly include Philadelphia and surrounding-area views related to parks and general living conditions.