Philadelphia Center for Architecture

Really cool bookstore with lots of fun gifts for nerdy kids and adults, plus better Philly souvenirs than anything you’ll find at the touristy places. Prices are a little high, which is the only reason I won’t go with 5 stars.

I am a fan of the Center, and support their support their education and cultural mission. But I want to register my disappointment with the «Emergence of a Modern Metropolis Philadelphia Walking Tour» that I attended this weekend. While well-​meaning and affable, the tour guide seemed to be inexperienced in both leading tours and Philadelphia architecture.
The size of the tour group was large – maybe 50 or 60 people – which was likely due to the half priced offer the Center extended for the tour. The microphone used by the guide was not adequate for such a large group, so it was often difficult to hear. The guide exacerbated this by racing ahead of the group each time, and beginning his description before his crowd had a chance to regroup. He also seemed to forget he was leading a group of such size, often waiting until the light turned yellow to start leading the group across a street, stranding many.
All of this was a minor annoyance compared to the quality of the descriptions during the tour. The guide seemed to have no background in architecture, and a tenuous grasp of the pertinent facts he was trying to cover, which were all jotted on a little notebook that he awkwardly referred to (ex. «This building here, was uh, built in an.(checks book) international style (?), in uh, (checks book) 1926. Or maybe it was 1936.»). All of his descriptions were vague and obvious (ex. «This building used to be a factory. Look at those big windows. Now they are lofts, which are a type of apartment». «This area used to be pretty dicey, then they fixed it up, now its pretty nice». «To your left you can see Camden. Which is a part of New Jersey») and interspersed with irrelevant personal anecdotes.
I’m not an architectural expert, just someone who is interested in Philadelphia and thought this tour would provide some interesting information about the city’s architecture. I also never write reviews like this. But the quality of both the tour operations and information was so disappointing I felt compelled to register my displeasure somehow. I know the Center is a small organization doing good work. Hopefully with this feedback they can improve their tours for future groups.