The Philly School: a wonderful article by Gil Hanse

[Joe Bausch]

This is just fabulous (even if Gil didn't call me to find Wilson was heavily involved with Seaview Bay!; thank goodness he is the architect on the Cobb's Creek restoration project, grin):

http://www.usopen.com/en_US/news/articles/2013-06-09/201306091370801882775.html

[Ed Brzezowski]

Joe, very hard to disagree with the points in this piece. Especially this week.
Ed

[Chris Clouser]

So what is it exactly that constitutes whether one is included into the Philly School of Architecture?  Is there a set criteria?  Does the same criteria exist for other "schools"?

[Dan Herrmann]

Chris - I think it is defined by the guys that spent time in Philly back in the day.  They spent time with each other and sometimes teamed up on their projects.

But Hanse describes it better:  " The Philadelphia School designers were not only lovers of the game, but friends, competitors and visionaries who sprang from similar social circumstances in Philadelphia. With the exception of William Flynn, the lone “outsider,” Crump, Thomas, Tillinghast and Wilson were all born within eight years of each other, with Crump being the oldest and Wilson the youngest. They frequented the same establishments in and around Philadelphia, but golf was what brought them together. Around the game they built the camaraderie and confidence that allowed them to take individual design paths, but also retain a collective approach that sprung from and culminated in their collaboration on the finest golf course on the planet, Pine Valley."

[DMoriarty]

Chris, I too have also often wondered what makes this a "School" of golf architecture, and Hanse's description does not seem to do anything to clear that up.

[Dan Herrmann]

Sigh

How's this definition:  " A group of people whose thought, work, or style demonstrates a common origin or influence or unifying belief"

[DMoriarty]

That is a nice definition of "school" but of course that wasn't the question.

[Dan Herrmann]

Not gonna bite this time. 

[DMoriarty]

Good choice, Dan.  I wouldn't want you to mistakenly get drawn into a reasonable discussion.

Anyone out there care to characterize the architectural attributes, theories, and/or tenants of the so called Philadelphia School?

I see where Gil wrote, "They built the camaraderie and confidence that allowed them to take individual design paths, but also retain a collective approach that sprung from and culminated in their collaboration on the finest golf course on the planet, Pine Valley."    

I couldn't even begin to guess what all that is supposed to mean.  Anyone?

Is it that at some point or another, before or after they designed courses, they all had some connection to Pine Valley? Does this really make them a school of architecture? Should we include Colt in the school as well? How about Travis?

[Dan Herrmann]

The Nature Faker has a lot of good information in his area that you may find helpful.

[DMoriarty]

I've sifted through it, but it only leaves me more confused. 

[Dan Herrmann]

Do you have the final version?   You get a lot for your money with that book!

[DMoriarty]

Do you have the final version?   You get a lot for your money with that book!

I do have the full version.  It was a gift.

Overall it is worth about what I paid for it.  

[Dan Herrmann]

I'm sure the person who,gifted it you must appreciate your gratitude.

[DMoriarty]

Actually they value it about the same as I do.

[Mike Sweeney]

So what is it exactly that constitutes whether one is included into the Philly School of Architecture?  Is there a set criteria?  Does the same criteria exist for other "schools"?

The first time that I saw it was in Shackelford's Golden Age of Golf Design. In fact, he refers to it as the "The Philadelphia School of Design" not architecture.

Tom Paul has a similar view in this old thread:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,37949.0.html

Other than the collaboration on Pine Valley, it seems more like a "fraternity" of architecture friends from a common area with similar ages rather than some sort of similar design ideas or formal/informal training.

Any earlier references before Shack?

[Dan Herrmann]

Keeping it in Philly - to me it's akin to the Brandywine School.  Or, moving up north, to the Hudson River School.

[DMoriarty]

Mike Sweeney,  

Shackelford's reference is the first one I can think of offhand.

I agree with your assessment of the supposed "school" although I am not even sure fraternity quite applies.  I'm not sure Tillinghast and Flynn were "brothers" when it came to matters of golf course design, or anything else for that matter.

I'd missed that thread you posted, and find it pretty funny reading.  Pinehurst was the main influence on Philadelphia architecture?  That is rich.   I also like how TEPaul and Cirba tried to squeak Fownes into the same supposed "school" grouping.  Let's see . . . Boston is about the same distance from Philadelphia as is Pittsburg, so perhaps they ought to throw in Leeds as well, for good measure.   And it is great how Tom Paul is pretending to have coined some important phrase because he tried to stick the world "original" on the front of Shackelford's "Philadelphia School."

The wishy washy nature of their efforts says something about the legitimacy of this supposed school.

======================================================

Dan,  Those are two examples of actual movements in art spearheaded by a few artists and their followers.  The "Philadelphia School" of golf design wasn't anything like those, was it?   In both cases there was a strong stylistic approach associated with the "school."  It wasn't just a mere geographic or tenuous social connection.  

What was the central driving style or tenant that runs through the work of all in the supposed Philadelphia School?   Who was the founder, mentor, leader, teacher?  What was the thread that ran through all of what they produced?  Pine Valley was heavily influenced by Colt, so is he the founder of the School?  Merion was designed according to the ideas of CB Macdonald, so was he the founder of the school?   AWT worked early on with Peter Lees, among others.  Is he in the school, too?   Thomas was heavily influenced by Bell in California and the vast majority of his work was in California, so how does that work?  Can we throw Bell in because he grew up over 300 miles away in Pittsburg?   Or how about Donald Ross or Walter Travis?  Cirba seems to think that the work they did at Pinehurst provided the basis for the Philadelphia School, and Travis did have involvement at Pine Valley, and even drew up plans.  So is Travis in the school?  Is he the main figure?  

In short, it doesn't seem like the supposed "Philadelphia School" was anything like the schools or movements you mention.    Or was it?  

[Dan Herrmann]

I think it was.