Congdon offers a detailed history of the Master Builders Exchange, a Philadelphia-based trade association that played a key role in promoting high standards in the building industry. He shows how the Exchange brought together architects, builders, and suppliers to advance the interests of the profession, and examines the challenges it faced in the rapidly changing economic and political environment of the late 19th century. A fascinating look at the development of a vital industry. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.