I Explored Pennsylvania's Hidden Architectural Treasures With My Son for Spring Break-Here's What We Found

"Most 11-year-olds want to go to Disneyland for spring break. Mine wanted to see architecture. While there is no shortage of iconic buildings in our hometown of New York City, Pennsylvania arguably has a more esteemed collection. So last spring, we packed up my boyfriend's vintage Mercedes station wagon and hit the road for five days of design hunting, food, and, if there was time, antiquing. A thousand miles later, we looked at the state in an entirely new way."

"We began our drive early Sunday, so we could be at Canal House Station, a restaurant in Milford, New Jersey, before the lunch crowd. The founders, cookbook authors Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, have created a magical space that highlights the season's best produce. After a transportive lunch that involved fresh peas and rhubarb, we arrived at the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, Pennsylvania, for our 2:30 tour."

"I'd never heard of Esherick, a polymath best known for his handcrafted furniture, but this museum had popped up when I searched for Louis Kahn, the Brutalist architect who was based in Philadelphia. While walking through the Hobbit-like home and studio that Esherick built from 1926 to 1966, it was hard to imagine him befriending Kahn-their styles were so different."

A five-day road trip through Pennsylvania focused on architecture, design, food, and antiquing. The journey started with lunch at Canal House Station in Milford, New Jersey, followed by a tour of the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern. Visits included Erdman Hall at Bryn Mawr, Frank Lloyd Wright's Beth Sholom Synagogue exterior, and Modernist accommodations at Lokal Hotel Fishtown in Philadelphia. The trip contrasted Esherick's handcrafted, Hobbit-like studio with Louis Kahn's Brutalist projects. The itinerary combined museum tours, architectural detours, and culinary experiences, covering roughly a thousand miles and reshaping impressions of the state's architectural legacy.

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