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The Zimmerman House
Fairmount Ave. (between 4th & 5th Sts.)
Philadelphia, PA

Scroll down to see the photos.

Type of Structure: A turn-of-the-century row home with carvings and mouldings.

Year(s) of Construction: 1911

Builder: maybe a person named Zimmerman

Gargoyle carver(s): ?

Location: Fairmount Avenue between 4th and 5th Streets

Website: None

Interesting Features: Four heads of steer (cattle) located just below the roof. They are probably made of terracotta and were painted white. Three of the four are encased in chickenwire (I guess in an attempt to keep those filthy, disgusting, desease infested, rabid, kudie hostin' flying rats away - OK... I mean pigeons). there is also a masonry "plaque" and what I call the "Z Ball" - see photos below.

Personal Observations: The "plaque" mentioned above has the name "Zimmerman" and the words Built 1911. It also looks as though a letter "Z" was incorporated into a design with the name "Zimmerman".

A Little Research

I started searching the Internet for references to a Zimmerman who lived in Philadelphia around 1911. I wasn't finding much, however, I did find something interesting...

In Somerset County, PA (near Pittsburgh) is a mansion called "The Zimmerman Mansion". It was built for Daniel B. Zimmerman by Horace Trumbauer (one of Philadelphia's foremost Victorian age architects). D. B. Zimmerman made his fortune as a coal operator, cattle dealer, and agriculturalist. By the time he was 50 years old he was known as "the largest independent cattle dealer in the United States".

Reference: Somerset County Heritage Guide

Photos/Images: (all photos on this page can be "clicked on" to see larger versions)

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