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Philadelphia: Privately Printed. Very Good. 1933. First Edition. Hardcover. Autograph; 39 pages; A privately issued typescript (carbon sheets) bound in black leatherette with gilt lettered title (gilt totally flaked off) and metal spine fixture; foredges of a couple pages have shallow chipping. One of very few copies issued for family and close friends of the author Allen Evans. Former owners' names on ffep -- "Margaret Eleanor Evans / John Lewis Evans / Penrhyn / Haverford, Pa." Typed note bound in signed by the author's son Rowland Evans (1889-1975). "Dear Margie and John -- / This is the account which / father wrote up a short time before he died, / describing his impressions and memories of / his life when Grandpa Evans first moved into / this neighborhood. // I thought it would be / interesting to have it preserved, and hope / you will enjoy it. // Affectionately yours, / "Rowland" / Christmas 1933" These are the "impressions and memories" of Allen Evans (1849 – 1925), a prominent Philadelphia citizen and an American architect and partner in the Philadelphia firm of Furness & Evans. His best known work may be the Merion Cricket Club. He was the son of Dr. Edmund C. Evans (1813–1881) and Mary S. Allen (1816–1861), of Paoli, Pennsylvania. He worked as a draftsman for architect Samuel Sloan, and was working for Furness & Hewitt by 1872. When that firm was dissolved in 1875, he remained with Furness and Evans, rising to chief draftsman, and partner in 1881. Evans brought social connections to the firm, and initially designed houses for family and friends. He developed a small-scaled but vibrant version of the Shingle Style. Furness expert George E. Thomas suggests that Evans made major contributions to the Seamen's Church (1878), "Dolobran" (1881), and "Windon" (1882). He was a founding member of the Merion Cricket Club and designed its Ardmore Clubhouse (1880, burned 1892) and its clubhouses and other buildings in Haverford. Following the Civil War, his father purchased more than 100 acres of land northeast of Haverford Station. This was later sold off in parcels to Alexander Cassatt (to build "Cheswold"), Clement Griscom (to build "Dolobran"), J. Randall Williams (to build "Harleigh"), and the Merion Cricket Club Dr. Evans and other relatives built their own country houses (and a rental property) on the land, all designed by the architect in the family. Like his father, Evans invested in real estate. In Philadelphia, he designed and built a speculative row of four city houses (1883), west of Rittenhouse Square. The house at 237 South 21st Street became his own residence. In Berwyn, he developed land on a ridge overlooking the Great Valley, and designed "Hillcrest" (ca. 1887) for William Drennan. Now known as the Mary A. Bair house, it once featured a massive three-story porch crowned by a dome. Evans designed St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Ardmore (1887), where he remained an active member for the next 38 years. In the Kensington section of Philadelphia, he designed St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1904) and its parish house (1905), which were adjacent to Episcopal Hospital. The Girard Trust Company Building (1905–07), at Broad & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, caused a rift between Evans and Furness. The initial concept for a bank building modeled on the Pantheon in Rome had been Furness's, but the bank's president rejected his participation. The building was completed by Evans in partnership with McKim, Mead & White. Furness had to sue him to recover a share of the architect's fee. Furness, Evans & Company continued as the firm's name, even after Furness's 1912 death. Evans worked at the firm until 1923, more than 50 years. In retirement, Evans designed the rood screen for St. Mary's Ardmore. It was completed after his 1925 death, and dedicated by his widow.; Signed by Notable Personage, Related .