Event – Detail

Architect Cecil Baker has designed some of the most prominent buildings in Philadelphia's recent history. Moving fluidly between scales, building types, and price points, his office helped shape the evolution of City Center and set modernist precedents in its traditionally minded suburbs and beyond. In this illustrated talk, he will focus on three projects, all close neighbors of The Athenaeum, that address the historical context in which they sit and speak to the contemporary framework of his adopted City. They embody the ethos of “persuasion of place,” by which he means buildings that not only respect and reflect their surroundings but that also achieve beloved status by responding to regulatory frameworks and community concerns in an intensely imaginative way.

Over the course of nearly 50 years, Philadelphia-based architect Cecil Baker has completed  building ranging from iconic luxury towers to affordable subsidized housing, custom single-family homes, mixed-use complexes, and civic and institutional buildings. He founded Cecil Baker + Partners in 1982, which became CBP Architects after his departure in 2023. Baker's work is characterized by a blend of modern design, practicality, and a sensitivity to the surrounding context.