Urban Archives (Paley Library, Temple University)

Just posted a few stills from as a preview of Thursday's screening! Can't wait to share our footage with you. Hope to see you there!

We rarely get to show off color Bulletin photos so having to pull some this week was exciting and worth sharing. The couple of photos we've posted are of Robert Indiana's iconic 'Philadelphia LOVE' statue. It was installed in June of 1976 and on loan ahead of the Bicentennial festivities. The city passed on buying it at the time but public outcry convinced F. Eugene Dixon Jr, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and chairman of the Philadelphia Art Commission to purchase it in 197...8 for $35,000 bringing it back to what's become its permanent home in John F. Kennedy Plaza. It's one of many 'LOVE' statues Indiana created but the first that included violet, originally a mistake that the artist came to like. In a 1978 Bulletin interview, Indiana pitched a 24 foot high 'LOVE' statue with internal stairs so 'you could be in LOVE, not just stand beside it. It didn't come to fruition but Philadelphia still found itself with a statue that's become a landmark and common meeting and photographed spot. The statue is currently being restored as 'LOVE Park' is being re-envisioned. We haven't found much 70s footage of the statue but still may before our October 19th screening at Lightbox Film Center. These great photos have inspired us to check! See more

In October we're celebrating our 50th anniversary with a couple of events! On October 19th we'll be doing so with another of our Unedited Philadelphia screenings which highlights our news footage collections. All newly preserved, transferred and previously unseen footage spanning the 1940s to 1990s. Best of all it's free! Hope to see you there!

In early July, right around the 90th anniversary of the Ben Franklin Bridge we began work digitizing a 1926 photo album documenting construction of the then 'Delaware River Bridge.' The album belonged to nationally prominent suspension bridge engineer, Leon S. Moisseiff, who also served as engineer on Delaware River Bridge construction. The 100+ photos document various stages of construction, inspection and the immediate environs at the base of the bridge in Camden and Philadelphia. We put a few samples up in our Friday Photos album, but all of the photos are up in our Digital Collections page. Have a look!

Urban Archives turns 50 in October! Part of our programming to celebrate includes a screening at Lightbox Film Center on October 19th (save the date!) We have more than a few great finds, but would love to hear what types of things you'd love to see? Here's the program description..... "Temple University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Urban Archives with 'Unedited Philadelphia: Urban Archives at 50.' The ...latest in the Unedited Philadelphia screening series highlights recently preserved and long-time favorites from the CBS3/KYW and WPVI6/WFIL news footage collections. 'Urban Archives at 50' draws on raw news footage, nightly broadcasts, outtakes, and Public Affairs and feature based programming to depict vignettes of life in the Philadelphia region from the 1940s through 1990s. Everyday and landmark moments in neighborhood life, art, music, politics, religion, and more will be included. Audience participation is encouraged throughout and after the screening." See more