Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, located at 38th and Ludlow Streets in
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the n ...
, is the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
church of the
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church of the United States, encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania.
The diocese has 36,641 members ...
.
Formerly known as the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Saviour, it was built in 1855, renovated in 1898, and rebuilt in the year 1906, after an April 16, 1902 fire.
In 1992 it became the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.
The building 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 1979.
Recent history
A highly-controversial renovation of the interior was undertaken, 2000–2002, under then-cathedral dean Richard Giles, author of ''Re-Pitching the Tent: Re-Ordering the Church Building for Worship and Mission''. The pews, altar, and other church furniture were removed and sold and the decorated stone walls were stuccoed over and whitewashed. Modernist chairs and lighting fixtures in a severely minimalist style were introduced. The baptismal font was joined by an immersion pool for adults. These radical changes divided the congregation and were severely criticized in the press as 'cultural vandalism'.
In 2012, facing an estimated $3.5 million bill to renovate its bell tower, then cathedral dean Judith Sullivan petitioned the Philadelphia Historical Commission for permission to demolish wholesale its brownstone
Romanesque parish house and rectory, both NRHP-certified buildings. The demolition was approved and site completely filled with a 25-story apartment building which towers over the cathedral.
[Stephan Salisbury]
"Episcopal Cathedral gets OK to raze historic buildings, erect apartment high-rise,"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', June 10, 2012.
See also
*
List of the Episcopal cathedrals of the United States
The following is a list of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church cathedrals in the United States and its territories. The dioceses are grouped into nine Ecclesiastical province, provinces, the first eight of which, for the most ...
*
List of cathedrals in the United States
This is a list of cathedrals in the United States, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in Episcopal polity, episcopal Christian groups, such as Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy an ...
References
External links
Cathedral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
Churches completed in 1855
19th-century Episcopal church buildings
Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania
Churches in Philadelphia
Tourist attractions in Philadelphia
University City, Philadelphia
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
Episcopal cathedrals in Pennsylvania
Cathedrals in Philadelphia