{"nrhp_refnum":"70000553","name":"Christ Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"22-26 N. 2nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95075505650004,"lon":-75.14389145207159,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-04-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1970-05-15","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Christ Church is a two-story brick Georgian colonial church with a tall octagonal wooden steeple, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The main body was built between 1727 and 1744 and the tower and steeple were completed in 1754.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the church is among the finest and most ornate large Georgian colonial churches in the United States, with Baroque-influenced details such as a great Palladian window and molded brick work. It also cites its association with Philadelphia's wealthy citizens and with Revolutionary-era worshippers, including the Continental Congress in July 1775. The church has been in continuous use since its founding.","narrative":"Christ Church stands in Philadelphia as a two-story brick church of Flemish bond with glazed headers, built between 1727 and 1744 on the third church site in the city. Its main body measures 62 by 87 feet, and it is crowned by a 196-foot octagonal wooden steeple on a 28-foot-square tower with stone walls four feet thick. The exterior features a great Palladian window at the east end that lights the chancel, framed by carved keystones, medallions and an Ionic entablature. Inside, three widely spaced Doric columns on each side support a plaster ceiling, and the wine-glass pulpit, reading desk and font date from 1770. The church is regarded as one of the most ornate and largest Georgian churches in the English colonies. Revolutionary-era worshippers included Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and the Continental Congress met there as a body in July 1775.","period_of_significance":"1727-1754","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Georgian; Baroque influence","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as an active Episcopal church and maintained in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.879922-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/70000553_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000553/7399a5374e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000553/7399a5374e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Al R","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Church,_Philadelphia_12.2021_(edited).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Al R</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Church,_Philadelphia_12.2021_(edited).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000683","name":"Independence National Historical Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/independence-national-historical-park-66000683/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994273","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Church_(Philadelphia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q979481"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/christ-church-70000553/"}