Below are listed finding aids for materials in the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation archive. Make an appointment at the archive.
Visit Parks & Rec’s About us page page to learn more about Parks & Rec history.
| Name | Description | Released | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial Mapping Project Files PDF | Photographs, notes, and interpretations of multiple aerial mapping projects conducted in the City of Philadelphia. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Art Collections PDF | Artistic renderings and materials created of Fairmount Park | January 11, 2018 | |
| Bartram’s Garden Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Maps, plans, and drawings of Bartram's Garden and the Bartram House and building complex, including the seed house and barns | January 11, 2018 | |
| Basement Recovery Drawings PDF | Maps, plans, and drawings primarily of park landscapes which were recovered from the basement of Memorial Hall in the 1980s. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Centennial Exhibition Plans and Drawings Collections PDF | Centennial Exhibition Plans and Drawings Collection c. 1876. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Cobbs’s Creek Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | These are materials on Cobb's Creek Park 1902-current. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Cremer Stereograph Collection PDF | Stereographs featured in this collection were created by James Cremer, c. 1870-1880. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Fairmount Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Items in this collection relate to East and West Fairmount Park, the original watershed parks of what has become the vast Philadelphia park system. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park (FDR Park) Maps, Plans, and Drawings 1901-current. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Glass Plate Negatives Collections PDF | Subject matter covered includes the Pennypack region, Rittenhouse Town, Fairmount Park races, and East and West Fairmount Park, all circa the late 19th-century. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Greber Design Collection PDF | Drawings by Jacques Greber (1882-1962) of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from Logan Circle to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Manayunk Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Maps, drawings, and plans of Manayunk, Venice Island, and the Manayunk Canal in Philadelphia. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Pennypack Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | A variety of maps, plans and drawings relating to Pennypack Park. | January 11, 2018 | |
| A History of Philadelphia’s Department of Recreation 1880-2010 PDF | A general history of municipal recreation in the City of Philadelphia, from roughly the 1880s to 2010. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Loudoun Mansion Collection PDF | The correspondence in this collection is primarily concerned with public service activity during World War II. | January 11, 2018 | |
| The Mai Collection PDF | Personal photographic prints, slides, and paper material primarily featuring the Mai family who operated the Carl Mai Restaurant at Belmont Mansion. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Neighborhood Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Maps, plans, and drawings of neighborhood parks operated by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Photographic Prints Collection PDF | Images of the Philadelphia park system created between 1855 to present in a variety of formats. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Reference Collection PDF | Various materials that document the history of Fairmount Park, and subsequently the history of the activities of the Fairmount Park Commission. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Sculpture and Fountains Collection PDF | Materials documenting public sculptures and fountains throughout the park system. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Slide Collection PDF | This collection of slides documents significant natural and architectural features of the Philadelphia park system. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Tacony Creek Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | A variety of maps, plans, and drawings relating to Tacony Creek Park. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Walter Pertuch Digital Images Collection PDF | The collection features images from the late 19th century and early 20th century including the Centennial Exposition, Cobbs Creek, Fairmount, and Wissahickon watershed parks. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Wilford Collection of Centennial Exhibition and Sesquicentennial Exposition PDF | Materials from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition donated by the Wilfords. | January 11, 2018 | |
| Wissahickon Valley Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection PDF | Wissahickon Valley Park Maps, Plans, and Drawings Collection 1758-current. | January 11, 2018 |