Laurel Hill Cemetery: Architects Frank Furness and Henry Flower

Yesterday I visited the gravesites of two late nineteenth century architects, both contemporaries, with offices in close proximity. Furness, an architect of great acclaim created some of Philadelphia’s most notable monuments such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the long gone Broad Street Station has the most surprisingly modest tombstone, however directly adjacent to his grave is the most monumental Tulip Poplar in a rare state of a totally uninhibited growth habit. In death Frank Furness seems to have a surprising statement to make in the monument enterprise. Laurel Hill cemetery is a great place to see trees in their natural growth habit forms. The wintertime is the best time to see them.
Henry Flower is a lesser known architect who also happens to be the architect of our house on Viola street in West Philadelphia. However, he has designed hundreds of buildings throughout the city of Philadelphia.
He is a mysterious character and little is known of his life. I would love to find out more!