Howell Lewis Shay: Formative Philadelphia Architect & Arbiter

Join Scott Laughlin, an expert in historic real estate and an unfaltering volunteer with the Rose Valley Museum and Historical Society, as he presents the long and illustrious career of  Howell Lewis Shay.

Mr. Shay was a long-term resident of Rose Valley from 1916 to 1941, then from 1953 until 1974. He is known as the arbiter of the final design for the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the young age of 31, working for Horace Trumbauer. His capability to find compromise and to guide his clients to seek better solutions through thoughtful design was his hallmark. While primarily a commercial architect, best known for his city skyscrapers, he designed eight amazing residences in Rose Valley, 2nd only to our founder, William Lightfoot Price.

$20 per person ($15 members)