Wagner

The Wagner Free Institute of Science was founded in the 1840s by William Wagner, a Philadelphia merchant with a strong interest in the natural sciences.  The mission of the Institute is to allow adults to attend lectures and courses on various scientific subjects.  John MacArthur, the architect of Philadelphia’s famed City Hall, designed the Institute’s first permanent home in north Philadelphia in 1865.  The building underwent a major renovation in the 1880s by the firm of Collins and Autenrieth.  In addition to providing a venue for lectures, the building contains a museum for the vast collection of specimens and artifacts collected by Mr. Wagner and other scientists. All major spaces in the building remain virtually unchanged since the 1880s, in effect, the building is a museum of a museum

The master plan involved a detailed investigation of the physical condition of the structure and its components.  Of primary concern was the integrity of the slender wooden arches carrying the main roof.  Each arch is only eight inches thick while spanning 58 feet and supporting a 17-foot wide section of roof.  Structural analysis and wood pathology investigations showed these arches to be stable and still able to support the required load. The restoration would include a new tern coated stainless steel standing seam roof, which would replace the original. In addition to preservation, an evaluation of the current space allocations was also part of the master plan. It was proposed to restore the Annex, an addition from 1901,which housed the first branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, to better accommodate the Institute’s current needs.