National Historic Landmark

Cope, Edward Drinker, House

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
May 14, 1975
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
75001660

About this property

The Edward Drinker Cope House is a historic house located at 2100–2102 Pine Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built in 1880, it was a longtime home of Edward Drinker Cope (1840–1897), a prolific geologist and paleontologist and noted herpetologist who was one of the leading natural scientists of the 19th century United States. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975. The Edward Drinker Cope House consists of two side-by-side rowhouses at the southwest corner of 21st and Pine Streets, southwest of Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia's Center City. It is 3.5 stories in height with a larger ceiling at the top floor. The front facades are clad with rectangular cut green stone laid in random courses. The side and rear sides are brick and it is topped with a mansard roof. The main facade has polygonal bays on the outside and a pair of arched entrances in the center bays. The rowhouses were purchased by Cope shortly after their construction in 1880. He at first lived at 2100, using 2102 as storage and a work room. Financial reverses due to a poor investment in 1886 forced him to rent 2100 out, and he occupied 2102 until his death in 1897. The Pine Street home was filled with Cope's papers, bones, stuffed and mounted animals, and specimens preserved in alcohol that covered his desks and an improvised shelf in his bathroom. Cope was a prolific and talented scientist, distinguishing himself in the field of paleontology, where he was one of the leading figures in the infamous Bone Wars competition that characterized the scientific investigations of the American West in the 1870s. He is ranked with Othniel Marsh and Joseph Leidy as one of the nation's leading 19th-century paleontologists. List of National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1500, "Edward Drinker Cope Houses"

Location

2102 Pine St.
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
39.94684, -75.17677

Categories

SCIENCE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Neill-Mauran House
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0.1 mi
Houses at 2000-2018 Delancey Street
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Amalgamated Center
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Ringgold Place
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0.2 mi
Bishop Mackay-Smith House
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0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Germantown Oct 4 1777
1777Revolutionary War
2.3 mi
Battle of Barren Hill
1778Revolutionary War
4 mi
Fort Mercer (Battle of Red Bank)
1777Revolutionary War
4.7 mi
Battle of Gloucester (NJ) 1777
1777Revolutionary War
4.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Cope, Edward Drinker, House listed on the National Register?

Cope, Edward Drinker, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Cope, Edward Drinker, House?

Cope, Edward Drinker, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Cope, Edward Drinker, House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Cope, Edward Drinker, House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Cope, Edward Drinker, House?

The period of significance for Cope, Edward Drinker, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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