PHILADELPHIA — “West Philadelphia: Building a Community,” which opens at the University of Pennsylvania’s Arthur Ross Gallery on July 7, explores 19th-century architectural and urban development and features highlights of the community today.

The exhibit includes watercolors by Scottish immigrant David J. Kennedy that depict area houses, institutions and streets in 1836-1898. Land maps, photographs and postcards also reveal the neighborhood during these years.

Special events include a series of public lectures and tours offered during September and October, as well as a free Family Day on Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition to the exhibit, there is a new West Philadelphia History Center Web site recently launched by Walter Licht and Mark Lloyd of Penn. This collaborative exhibition is co-sponsored by the Arthur Ross Gallery, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and Penn’s University Archives and Records Center.

“West Philadelphia” runs at the Arthur Ross Gallery, 220 S. 34th St., through Oct. 11.

Arthur Ross Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and weekends, noon-5 p.m. All exhibits are free and open to the public.

Additional information is available at www.upenn.edu/ARG or 215-898-2083.