Betz building philadelphia

This meant that they could build much taller badass stone castles. These new giants would be built along South Broad Street. John Betz took advantage of the situation and commissioned Badass Motherfucker-in-Chief William Decker to design him the tallest building on the street and the second tallest in the city the only thing taller was the wooden steeple of the Tenth Presbyterian Church.

Decker was not shy about decking the motherfucker out It was built with an iron and steel framework that supported the weight of the building. Since the exterior walls were not load-bearing, they used hollow bricks. The building cost 1. Under Construction. It was renamed Soula' Cafe and Rathskeller an old timey word for underground restaurant and became the premiere social spot for politicians, businessman, and old-money millionaires.

Betz himself was known to get wasted there. You gotta wonder if he was like "This is my building, biotch!!! Soula's Broad Street entrance. In its' own time, the building received nation-wide acclaim. It's badassedness was known far and wide. By time the 20th Century was in full gear, this building became disgustingly out-of-style.

People were no longer into Victorian kickassedness and were more into Art Deco super-badassedness. Also, the real estate that the Betz and it's awesome-looking neighbor sat on was far too valuable for a thirteen-storey building. As a company, we are there when you need us with the materials and knowledge to help.

Proudly Serving Philadelphia and the entire Delaware Valley since ! In addition to Plumbing and Heating supplies, WM Betz also provides the best sales and support in the industry. Whether it be high profile projects like high rise office buildings, hotels, hospitals, universities, stadiums or casinos; or local stores, restaurants, churches, or community centers; WM Betz has been suppliers to many of the Delaware Valleys premier and local projects alike.

New York: Altamira Press, Maynard, W. Buildings of Delaware. Charlottesville, Va. Mozingo, Louise A. Cambridge, Mass. Thomas, George E.

Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania. Wright, Robert E. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, Paley Library, Polett Walk, Philadelphia. This misses the critical story of the invention of the modern steel frame building — in Philadelphia, by the Wilson Brothers Co.

Your email is never shared. Share This Page:. Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Explore Click the images to learn more. The Betz Building, shown here in , was demolished in In it was expected to be surpassed by a new Comcast tower nearby.

Krist Base caption credit: Visit Philadelphia. Despite controversy over the breaking of tradition, a new high-rise office corridor developed along or near west Market Street in the vicinity of Liberty Place. Interested in other topics? Office Buildings By Stephen Nepa. Saval, Nikil. Cubed: A Secret History of the Workplace.