Abele PMA Perspective from the North Postcard

Art historian David B. Brownlee studied the 14-year effort to design and build the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1914-28. He credits Trumbauer architect Howell Lewis Shay with the building's plan and massing but notes that the final perspective drawings are in Abele's distinctive hand. Design of the exterior terracing, including the front steps celebrated in the 1976 film Rocky, is credited to Abele.

Julian Abele was the first black graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Architecture.  Abele was the chief designer for the nationally known architectural firm of Horace Trumbauer, whose commissions during Abele's career included the Philadelphia Museum of art and the Free Library of Philadelphia on Logan Square. 

• Museum exclusive
• 4" x 9"
• Printed in the USA