Collection consists of records by Cassius Emlen Urban, a Lancaster architect. He supervised the construction of the Lancaster Post Office at 120 N. Duke St., Lancaster. Many letters from James H. Windrim, supervising architect of the Treasury Department, Washington, D. C. Book of correspondence contains details of the construction. Also includes letters he wrote to his son, Rathfon, dated February 14-29, 1939, while on the Italian liner, Roma.
Admin/Biographical History
C. Emlen Urban
Throughout Downtown Lancaster numerous iconic buildings make up the city's landscape giving it its unique and ornate character. Landmark buildings such as the Greist Building, the Watt and Shand Department Store, Hager Building, Southern Market, along with many more churches, residential units including the facade of the Fulton Opera House were the design of Cassius Emlen Urban. Urban was Lancaster's first architect and one of the most significant influences on the city. 1 Urban modernized the city's landscape as he designed buildings in a new era where technologies never before available to architects made it possible for himself to leave such a grand impression.
Urban was born on February 20, 1863 in Conestoga Township to a Civil War veteran Amos Urban, a distinguished citizen known for his modesty and community service. Urban finished high school in 1880 and would get his architectural training through an apprenticeship with Scanton, PA architect E.L. Walter. Later in 1884 Urban would move to Philadelphia where he served as a draftsman to Willis G. Hale. Upon returning to Lancaster roughly a year later Urban would open his own practice in Lancaster.2
Only a few years after Urban opened his practice through a family connection he would receive a commission to design Lancaster's Southern Market. Urban's career would take off leading him to design many more iconic buildings in Lancaster and Hershey as well. Urban, through his membership at the Hamilton Club made acquaintance with Milton Hershey who hired him to design such buildings as Hershey Chocolates original company offices and even his own mansion.3
Urban spent the majority of his life in Lancaster with the exception of his time studying as a young man. Urban is remembered for his buildings designed in Queen Anne and Beaux style architecture.4 Shenk in his A History of Lancaster County wrote of Urban, "Few men of Lancaster county can point to a finer array of useful and beautiful work than can Cassius Emlen Urban."
Nicole O. Sturla, "Cassius Emlen Urban: Lancaster's First Native Architect," Susquehanna Monthly Magazine, September 1980.
2 History of Lancaster County, ed. E.M.J. Klein (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc., 1924), 443.
3 "Urban, C. Emlen; 1863-1939," Hershey Community Archives, accessed September 30, 2014. http://www.hersheyarchives.org/essay/details.aspx?EssayId=34&Rurl=%2Fresources%2Fsearch-results.aspx%3FType%3DBrowseEssay.
4 "Introduction," To Build Strong and Substantial: The Career of Architect C. Emlen Urban, (2009): 2-3.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please make an appointment by contacting the Research Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Persons wishing to publish any material from this collection must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by BW, Fall 2010. Add to database 28 September 2023.
Proposed Office Facility for 126 E. King Associates. Barley, Snyder, Cooper & Barber. Reese, Lower, Patrick, and Scott. Registered Architects. 436 North Lime St. Lancaster, PA. 24 January 1983.
First Floor Plan. Parking, Central Files, Inactive Files, Mail and Copy Room, Mechanical, Covered, Vestibule, Reception. Scale: 1/8''=One Foot.
Second and Third Floor Plan. Support Core, Rooms. Coffee, Telephone, 2 Utility. Scale: 1/8''=One Foot.
First Floor Plan. Waiting, Men and Women's Bathrooms, Mail and Copy Room, Vestibule, Utility, Remote Elevator Control Unit.
Second Floor Plan. 3 Conference Room, Office Manager, Book Keeper, Word Processing, Vault, Computer Equipment, Men and Women's Bathrooms.
Third Floor Plan. Conference, Utility, 1970 L.F. (includes lounge).
King Street Elevation. Scale: 1/4''=One Foot. Section A (Second Floor Elevation). Scale 3/4''=One Foot. Section B. Scale 3''=One Foot. Section C.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please make an appointment by contacting the Research Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Persons wishing to publish any material from this collection must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by BW, Fall 2010. Add to database 28 September 2023.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please make an appointment by contacting the Research Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Persons wishing to publish any material from this collection must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by BW, Fall 2010. Add to database 2 October 2023.
South Wall Northwest Room Second Floor. Elevation. Details 1,2,3,4,5.
North Wall Southwest Room Second Floor. Elevation. Details "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6".
North East Room, South East Room Second Floor. Elevation. Details "1", "2", "3", "4".
South Wall North East Room First Floor. Elevation. Details "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8".
North Wall South East Room First Floor. Elevation. Details "1", "2", "3", "4", "5".
Spring House, Root Cellar, Key Plan. Spring House: Plan, Window Detail, Section 1-1, West Elevation, North Elevation. Root Cellar: East Elevation, Plan, West Elevation, Profile One Half of Arch, North Elevation.
Preferred Citation: Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection Title (MG#), Box #, Folder #, (or Object ID), LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. URL if applicable. Date accessed (day, month, year).
Access Conditions / Restrictions
Please make an appointment by contacting the Research Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org prior to visit.
Copyright
Collection may be photographed. Please direct questions to Research Center Staff at Research@LancasterHistory.org.
Permission for reproduction and/or publication must be obtained in writing from LancasterHistory.
Persons wishing to publish any material from this collection must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright or other use restrictions. Publication fees may apply.
Credit
Courtesy of LancasterHistory, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Description Level
Item
Custodial History
Cataloged by BW, Fall 2010. Add to database 13 October 2023.
Lancaster's southeast quadrant, the seventh ward, shown with members of Lancaster City Council and Redevelopment Authority tour the area to be cleared in the 1960s. Mayor George Coe, with paper in paper in pocket, leads the group. W. Hensel Brown, Jr. is on the sidewalk at left.
Photograph- Reprint of a damaged photograph of a group of men taken at 449 Freiberg Street, now Pershing Avenue, before 1905. Man framed in doorway under awning is Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin lived at 449 Freiberg St. Man standing third from left is Henry A. Blankenmeyer, son of Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin Anthony Blankenmeyer b. November 20, 1828, d. April 18, 1907, Civil War veteran who served with Company F, 79th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Henry Anthony Blankenmyer, b. ?, 1886 d. October 1905.
Photograph- Reprint of a damaged photograph of a group of men taken at 449 Freiberg Street, now Pershing Avenue, before 1905. Man framed in doorway under awning is Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin lived at 449 Freiberg St. Man standing third from left is Henry A. Blankenmeyer, son of Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin Anthony Blankenmeyer b. November 20, 1828, d. April 18, 1907, Civil War veteran who served with Company F, 79th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Henry Anthony Blankenmyer, b. ?, 1886 d. October 1905.
Description
Reprint of a damaged photograph of a group of men taken at 449 Freiberg Street, now Pershing Avenue, before 1905. Man framed in doorway under awning is Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin lived at 449 Freiberg St. Man standing third from left is Henry A. Blankenmeyer, son of Martin Blankenmeyer. Martin Anthony Blankenmeyer b. November 20, 1828, d. April 18, 1907, Civil War veteran who served with Company F, 79th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Henry Anthony Blankenmyer, b. ?, 1886 d. October 1905.
Photograph- Maple Grove Ballroom, c. 1942 or 1943. Band leader, Howdy Blankman. Vocalist, Joanna Bigler Lowry. Drummer, Dr. Donald Good. Other band members include: Fred Suydam, Bob Hershey, Charles Herr, Walt Murray, Harold Peters, Harry King, Louis Doerr, Doug Brenneman, John Cannon. Digital image only.
Photograph- Maple Grove Ballroom, c. 1942 or 1943. Band leader, Howdy Blankman. Vocalist, Joanna Bigler Lowry. Drummer, Dr. Donald Good. Other band members include: Fred Suydam, Bob Hershey, Charles Herr, Walt Murray, Harold Peters, Harry King, Louis Doerr, Doug Brenneman, John Cannon. Digital image only.
Description
Maple Grove Ballroom, c. 1942 or 1943. Band leader, Howdy Blankman. Vocalist, Joanna Bigler Lowry. Drummer, Dr. Donald Good. Other band members include: Fred Suydam, Bob Hershey, Charles Herr, Walt Murray, Harold Peters, Harry King, Louis Doerr, Doug Brenneman, John Cannon. Digital image only.
