St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia)
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is a historic parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, founded in 1823 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and located at 19 South Tenth Street, on the corner of Tenth Street and Ludlow Street. St. Stephen's was designed by William Strickland in the Gothic revival style. It is the oldest extant building in Philadelphia in this style and was designed by a master of the Greek Revival style, thus marking the beginning of the end of the use of the Neo-Classical style in Philadelphia.[2] St. Stephen's first service was held on February 27, 1823. On June 4, 1979, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church | |
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Location | 19 South 10th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Coordinates | |
Built | 1823 |
Architect | William Strickland (1822) Frank Furness (1879) |
Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 79002329 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 4, 1979 |
History
![](../I/Benjamin_Franklin_plaque%252C_Saint_Stephen's_Episcopal_Church%252C_Philadelphia%252C_Pennsylvania_-_20060906.png.webp)
Strickland was inexperienced in designing Gothic Revival buildings, as were other American architects at the time. The National Register of Historic Places nomination form states "The structure is imperfect Gothic, but Gothic nevertheless." In particular, there is little emphasis on vertical elements, as is usual in Gothic architecture. Architect Frank Furness added a transept and vestry room in 1879. Artwork includes a Venetian glass mosaic, three early Tiffany windows, three monumental sculptures by Carl Johann Steinhäuser comprising the Burd Family Memorial of 1849, and, until it was purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2004, the sculpture The Angel of Purity by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.[2]
A plaque on the outside front wall reads: "THIS CHURCH IS BUILT ON THE SITE WHERE BENJ. FRANKLIN FLEW HIS FAMOUS KITE," though the provenance of the marker is unclear, and apparently unrelated to the oval Philadelphia Historical Commission marker above it.
Rectors
In the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the rector is the priest elected to head a self-supporting parish.
- Rev. Dr. James Montgomery (1823-1834)[3]
- Rev Dr. H. W. Ducachet (1834-1865)[4]
- Rev. Dr. William Rudder (1865-1880)[5]
- Rev. Dr. Samuel D. McConnell (1882-1896)[6]
- Rev. Dr. Elwood Worcester (1896-1904)[7]
- Rev. Dr. Carl E. Grammer (1905-1936)[8]
- Rev. Dr. Vincent C. Franks (1937-1939)[9]
- Rev. Dr. Alfred W. Price (1942-)[10]
- Rev Roy Hendricks (1971-1983)
- Rev Patricia A. Oglesby, interim (1983-1985)
- Rev Robert A. Schiesler (1985-1990)
- Rev Charles T. Flood vicar and then rector (1990-2016)
- Rev Peter Kountz, PhD, vicar (2016–present) [11]
See also
Philadelphia portal
Christianity portal
- St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia
- Saint Mary's Church, Hamilton Village
- Lantern Theater Company
References
Notes
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- Martin Aurand, 1978, NRHP Nomination Form for St. Stephen's Church Enter "public" for ID and "public" for password to access the site.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- mjk38 (2014-08-28). "The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)". Philadelphia Studies. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
- "St. Stephen's Church". Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
External links
Media related to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia) at Wikimedia Commons
- St. Stephen's Church Philadelphia
- St. Stephen Church
- St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church
- National Register listing for St. Stephen's
- Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
- Philadelphia Historical Commission
- The Immortals of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia: A Paper Read at the Parish's 125th Anniversary Dinner (1948)
- Reports and Financial Statements Rendered at the Annual Parish Meeting of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1937-1953)
- Address of Roland S. Morris Delivered at the Centennial Anniversary of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1923)
- Service Leaflet for the Presentation of Recent Improvements by Ms. Anne Magee on the 100th Anniversary of the Consecration of St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1923)
- Service Leaflet for the Presentation of Alternations and Decorations by Ms. Anne Magee at St. Stephen's Church, Philadelphia (1918)
- The Rich Heritage of 125 Years of Christian Service: St. Stephen's Church in the City of Philadelphia (1948)