last, by mutual consent, those persons who are indebted to them are requested to make immediate payment; and those who have any demands against said firm are desired to furnish their accounts to either of the subscribers for settlement.Despite the laconic nature of this notice, it now seems certain that the termination of Cowgill and Biddle's professional relationship was preceded by, or perhaps anticipated, concerns about the moral and ethical integrity of their business operation. Thackara's decision to build on Spruce Street may, of course, have been prompted or encouraged by Biddle—they were already neighbors in Powell Street—but it more likely relates to the particular social and professional advantages he enjoyed as a member of the Society of Friends.The house at 717 Spruce Street has fared less well than Biddle's earlier property venture. A letter from the Boston committee was read aloud to the assembled meeting of the Carpenters’ Company; among those attending were Biddle, Ireland, and Summers. Deeds M.R./5/382. While the details remain undisclosed, there is no record of any cases being brought against them. (I confirmed the change in height by comparing photographs of 1916 and 1957 with the present appearance of the building.) Haviland, John To date, it has been established only that Biddle and Cowgill were in some form of business partnership between 1799—a year before both became members of the Carpenters’ Company—and 1801.a good draughtsman, and be able to draw plans, and to survey and estimate the expence of buildings; More broadly, Roger Moss has noted the difference between the apprenticeship system in Europe, which was rigidly hierarchical in regard to professional development, and that in the American colonies, where “no impediment blocked a young artisan from styling himself a master once out of his indenture.”While the origin and nature of Biddle and Cowgill's business relationship remain unclear, the pooling of credit resources and the sharing of capital risk were likely motivating factors.
The $731.25 valuation of the adjoining 19 Powell (built 1797), which boasts an identical areal footprint, provides some clue to the value of Biddle's house had it been fully built at the time. Thanks are also due to Dr. Roger W. Moss, Dr. Aaron Wunsch, Dr. Lynne Calamia, and Professor Dean Kinane.Jeffrey A. Cohen, “Building a Discipline: Early Institutional Settings for Architectural Education in Philadelphia, 1804–1890,” James F. O'Gorman, “The Philadelphia Architectural Drawing in Its Historical Context: An Overview,” in James F. O'Gorman, Jeffrey A. Cohen, George E. Thomas, and G. Holmes Perkins, The two houses built by Owen Biddle are identified in “Society Hill (and Pennsylvania Hospital of Washington Square West) Historic District,” a comprehensive list published by the Philadelphia Historical Commission on 10 Mar.
The evidence of Biddle's two houses suggests that he was not a builder-speculator of any significance. Focusing on two hitherto unknown row houses built by Biddle between 1798 and 1801, The master builder and protoarchitect Owen Biddle (1774–1806), despite a relatively brief career, stands as a pivotal figure in the historiography of American architecture.Owen Biddle, 525 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, 1798–1800 (author's photo).Owen Biddle, 525 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, 1798–1800 (author's photo).Owen Biddle, 717 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 1800–1801 (author's photo).Owen Biddle, 717 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 1800–1801 (author's photo).Drawing on information from a variety of unexploited archival sources, this article sheds new light on the professional life of this important if enigmatic figure and presents a descriptive analysis of buildings hitherto unrecorded in his oeuvre.As with the lives of the majority of house carpenters and master builders of the Federal era, the established facts of Owen Biddle's personal and professional life are quickly summarized.Owen Biddle, Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, 1803–5, 1810–11 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS, PA, 51-PHILA, 10—1, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).Owen Biddle, Arch Street Meeting House, Philadelphia, 1803–5, 1810–11 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS, PA, 51-PHILA, 10—1, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).Given the importance of craft networks for prosperity in business during this period, the most important new biographical fact to add to this rudimentary portrait concerns the identity of the master under whom Biddle served his trade apprenticeship.
All houses were to be at least 15½ feet frontage. Although these houses were certainly larger in scale and spatial dimension, here it seems likely that the less tangible qualities of association and reputation also influenced their appraisal: 427 Spruce was built by William Williams, one of the most celebrated builder/architects of the Federal era in Philadelphia, and was, in 1798, home to Don Joseph de Jaudenes, commissary general and envoy from the king of Spain; 244 South Third (the Powel House), one of the finest examples of the row house type in eighteenth-century Philadelphia, was successively home to some of the most distinguished families of the so-called Republican Court (William Williams, 427 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 1790–91 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS PA, 51-PHILA, 570—9, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).William Williams, 427 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, 1790–91 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS PA, 51-PHILA, 570—9, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).244 South Third Street (Powel House), Philadelphia, 1765 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS PA, 51-PHILA, 25—1, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).244 South Third Street (Powel House), Philadelphia, 1765 (Historic American Buildings Survey, HABS PA, 51-PHILA, 25—1, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.).More important, if we take into account the median dwelling space common to the city's various occupational categories, from “low manual” to “high nonmanual,” we can surmise Biddle's projected market. 1999 (amended 13 Oct. 1999), 34, 156. Deeds D/69/173. Book/Printed Material Evans also built the current 727 Spruce Street, having purchased the lot in 1802.