"Tops of Town" Celebrates Doylestown Architecture

A trio of Doylestown men wants you to know there’s a unique and beautiful world to see that’s different from your daily perspective – all you have to do is look up.

Kevin Jameson, Mark Dauber and Mark Beard – all longtime friends who grew up and graduated from – created a poster that celebrates the eaves and cupolas and other interesting architectural features that make Doylestown, well … Doylestown.

Called “Tops of Town - Doylestown,” the poster showcases a series of photos of some of these elements.

Jameson, a frequent traveler during his 30 years spent working in the security business, has learned that many buildings have some really striking features that are often overlooked because they’re above most people’s main line of vision.

“Walking around Times Square in New York, for example, when it was more gritty. That was what most people focused on,” Jameson recalled. “But just above the grittiness there was this exquisite architecture that I think people inherently tended to ignore. If you take your eyes up above the sight line, there are gargoyles or rain spouts or beautiful stone work … but nobody looks up that high.”

Jameson’s friend, Mark Dauber, noticed the same architectural beauty while taking walks around his hometown.

“I grew up and just loved Doylestown architecture and history,” said Dauber, a longtime employee of ’s maintenance department.

Dauber was smitten with the varied rooftops that surrounded the county seat.

So, along with friend Mark Beard, owner of , the idea for an art print celebrating Doylestown’s aerial uniqueness was born.

The 16 photos chosen for the poster represent a varied selection of architectural periods, from the 1700s through 1960.

With a little thought, those familiar with Doylestown will no doubt recognize many of the sites.

Doylestown’s allure has charmed many, said Beard, with visitors and residents alike being “quite taken by the amount of care and design and construction of the buildings. It’s a beautiful town.”

The poster “just renews your sense of why you like it here,” he added.

Jameson likes the fact that the photos will resonate with those viewing them.

“You can draw a connection with all those images,” he explained. “It might bring back a lot of memories or conversations with people with shared memories – ‘Oh, I remember when my mother used to shop for shoes there,’ or ‘I used to know someone who worked there’ – art is meant to evoke feelings.”

Said Dauber: “It’s almost like the poster tells a story.”

Those who have seen the poster often liken it to the popular “Doors of Doylestown” print that came out in the mid-1980s, said Jameson.

And like the “Doors” series, the three are hoping to chronicle the “Tops of Town” in other locations.

The $29.95 poster is available at and through the group’s website, www.topsoftown.com. The website also includes a research guide put together by Dauber and his wife wife, Denise, with information about each of the buildings in the 16 photos making up the poster.

It can also be purchased and framed from , and the .

The timing of the poster’s release correlates to this year’s 200th anniversary of Doylestown Borough becoming the county seat – a fitting combination, said Jameson.

A portion of the profits will go to ,  , Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA), Bucks County Historical Society, , and Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce.