Montgomery & Bishop
the
background information on this page is from research done by Charles A.
Evers. AIA , ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY OF APOLOGEN RD and from the
Philadelphia Architects and Buildings website PAB
Newcomb T Montgomery (2/26/1907-5/15/1986)
born Philadelphia, graduated Chestnut Hill Academy/ B.Arch Princeton
1928 M.Arch U. Penn 1931. worked in the offices of Zantzinger, Borie
& Medary, with Corbett, Harrison & McMurray in New York and
with the Philadelphia housing authority. Montgomery started an
independent practice in 1945 and formed a partnership with Robert
Bishop in 1952. Commercial buildings include Health center at South and
Broad in Philadelphia
Robert Bishop ( 2/27/1908-10/11/1984)" born Philadelphia, graduated with honor from Swarthmore College. Inspired by lectures given by Frank Lloyd Wright at the University of Pennsylvania in 1932, Bishop went to Taliesen in
Wisconsin, where he remained as a fellow for three years. His later
employer and collaborator in the creation of the Bryn Gweled community
in Bucks County, Paul Beidler,
was at Taliesen concurrently. While there, Bishop participated in
producing the Broadacre City model. Wright's approach to natural
materials and idealistic community planning and housing design would
remain important features of his work through his career. Bishop's
architectural interests were based in and informed by the social
concerns of his Quaker faith. Bishop returned to Philadelphia after
accompanying the completed Broadacre model to New York for exhibition
in 1935. He also became part of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania's
School of Fine Arts in 1952, where he was brought on as a lecturer by
dean G Holmes Perkins
as part of the young and energetic teaching staff Perkins used to
supplant the school's Beaux-Arts traditions with modernist
progressivism. Bishop's first-hand knowledge of Wright's theories and
his talent for designing with wood in Wright's vein were important
contributions to the architectural curriculum in this formative period.
Bishop continued to teach at Penn until 1960, where he had risen in
rank from lecturer to Assistant Professor, and also served as a
visiting critic at Cornell. Bishop was one of the founders of Bryn Gweled (begun 1939), a
cooperative homestead community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he
designed houses and and made his residence. He retired from practice in 1972." PAB website
Newton Montgomery Residence 1950
personal
residence of Montgomery according to Philadelphia City Archives 1950
permit # 3199 this home was constructed for 26,000 and consisted of
brick, "Way Lite" block and a flat roof
Mark E Kimmel Residence
Designed
by Montgomery & Bishop 1956, this house incorporates the ruins of a two-story
schist stone barn (note the sills near the top of the wall) of a former
Chestnut Hill estate into one wing of the L-plan, one-story, flat-roofed
cinderblock building. The stucco-clad house is set back and rotated.
N. William Winkelman Residence 1958
This
is an incredible home built on the edge of Fairmont Park. It has one
of the most dramatic living spaces I have seen. The home has a grand
entertaining portion and a wing with 7 bedrooms. There is a feeling of
gently floating in the treetops from the home.This home is built on the
site Louis Kahn had designed a home 1947-1949 Alterations and a garage
were commissioned in 1963 though the garage was never built
Winkelman Residence
private driveway first view
floating closet in entry dinning room cabinet detail
living room with projecting glass box, the second photo is
taken from study overlooking the room, note grand piano for scale
tree top view from living room looking down at windows edge
patio off bedroom wing view into park from kitchen patio
view to bedroom back toward entry view into dining room,
wing kitchen with side yard beyond
floating steps to glass bedroom wing
box off living room
view from master shower onto private 3 acres
1958 Montgomery and Bishop Fleer House
living room cantilevered over stream side and back view
front views entrance and carport
entry/floating closets as with Winkleman/view from kitchen/connection to master bedroom
photo taken recently after construction
interior photos of the Fleer
approx 1960 Montgomery & Bishop
rear view
front and side view
Montgomery
and Bishop of designed many public buildings in Philadelphia in the
1950's and 1960's. Below is one example, the city public health
building at Broad and South St. The Glass and long horizontal bands of
block aqua green tile curved corners and roofline make this a standout,
sadly not well preserved by the city of Philadelphia.
Index to MODERN HOMES PHILADELPHIA History Pages
Overview of Philadelphia Area Mid-Century Modern Residential Architecture (below on this page) Photo overview followed by brief written overview of Philadelphia mid-century architects .
Time Line of area modern homes from 1930's to today Mid-Century Modern Homes
Architects Who Designed Mid-Century Modern Homes in the Philadelphia Region
photographs of the regional homes designed by each architect are included
