Arch Street Presbyterian Church is a historic

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

at 1724

Arch Street Arch Street is a major east-west street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Location Arch Street runs from the Delaware River one way westbound through the Old City section of Philadelphia, where landmarks include the A ...

, located between the two Comcast skyscrapers (

Comcast Center Comcast Center, also known as the Comcast Tower, is a skyscraper at 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The 58-story, tower is the List of tallest buildings in Philadelphia, second-tallest bui ...

and

Comcast Technology Center The Comcast Technology Center is a supertall skyscraper in Center City Philadelphia. The 60-floor building, with a height of , is the tallest building in both Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania and the tallest building in the Wester ...

) in the Logan Square neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Hoxie & Button, and built in 1855. It is a one-story,

Classical Revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style building with Greek and Roman elements. It features a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

supported by four

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...

columns and a coffered dome. ''Note:'' This includes It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1971.

History

19th and 20th centuries

Built in 1855, Arch Street Presbyterian Church (ASPC), was the "establishment" downtown Presbyterian church through the 19th and much of the 20th century. The architecture is neo-classic Greek revival style, a contrast to the modern Comcast Center skyscraper next door. The interior features ornate columns, a domed ceiling, and a massive organ. In the 1920s and 1930s, the church was a conservative bastion in the theological debates that rocked the Presbyterian Church and other mainline Protestant denominations. ASPC's head pastor during this period, Rev. Clarence E. Macartney, engaged in a public debate with one of the leading modernist preachers, Rev.

Harry Emerson Fosdick Harry Emerson Fosdick (May 24, 1878 – October 5, 1969) was an American pastor. Fosdick became a central figure in the fundamentalist–modernist controversy within American Protestantism in the 1920s and 1930s and was one of the most prominen ...

of New York City.

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own work ...

served as organist and choirmaster from 1932 to 1948. During the latter 20th century, the congregation dwindled as many members moved out of Center City Philadelphia.

21st century

By the early 2000s, the church had only a few dozen active members. However, the pews were packed on Sunday, January 28, 2007, when Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla worshipped at the church during their visit to the U.S. In 2008, the Presbytery of Philadelphia of the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

decided to attempt to revitalize the church. Rev. William Golderer, who is also the convening pastor of Broad Street Ministry, was recruited to lead the effort. The pastoral staff now includes Rev. Golderer, Head Pastor; Rev. Carla A. Jones Brown, Minister of Encouragement, Inspiration and Intercession; Rev. David Norse, Minister for Pastoral Counseling & LGBTQ Belonging; Rev. Anne Park, Minister for Executive Leadership; Rev. Mike Pulsifer, Minister for Outreach, and Dr. J. Donald Dumpson, Minister of Music. Dr. Dumpson comes from the African-American Baptist tradition, and he leads a music program that includes classical, traditional, folk, and gospel influences. The church now has growing attendance and membership of over 100, with a diverse racial and socioeconomic makeup. The church's current theology could be characterized as progressive and inclusive, with worship in the Reformed Protestant tradition. Programming includes a Sunday School for children during worship, outreach activities, a Deacons ministry, a "Good Book Club" (Wednesday lunchtime Bible Study), and "Church in the Alehouse" (a monthly meeting in a local pub to discuss issues of faith and life). The church hosts Arch Street Preschool, a weekday preschool operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The church's mission statement includes a commitment to " lcome and anticipate the presence of those new to faith, those longing for a deeper connection with God and neighbor, and those suspicious of the trappings of religion."

Gallery

West Arch Street Presbyterian Church, (Presbyterian, Old School), Philadelphia. South-east corner of Arch and Eighteenth Streets, by McAllister & Brother.png, Interior, . File:Buildings in Philadelphia - IMG 7505.JPG, Looking east from 19th Street, with the

towering over the church.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1855 establishments in Pennsylvania 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Arch Street Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Churches completed in 1855 Churches in Philadelphia Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Logan Square, Philadelphia Neoclassical architecture in Pennsylvania Neoclassical church buildings in the United States Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia