{"nrhp_refnum":"71000063","name":"Free Quaker Meetinghouse","other_names":["See Also:Independence National Historical Park"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"SW corner of 5th and Arch Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95288289000007,"lon":-75.14240852599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-09-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half story brick meeting house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, built in 1784 for Quakers who had been disowned for taking part in the Revolutionary War.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is important for its role in Philadelphia's religious, social and cultural life. It served as a school, a Masonic meeting place and a library over its history. The building was moved in 1961 for street widening and restored to its 1788 condition.","narrative":"Built in 1784 in Philadelphia as a meeting house for Quakers who had been disowned by their own meetings for taking part in the Revolutionary War, the brick building is two and one-half stories with a gable roof, Flemish bond facade and a pedimented wood doorway. Samuel Wetherill was responsible for the main plans, and Timothy Matlack drew the plans for the vaults. A second floor was added in 1788, reached by an outside stairway, so the upper floor could be rented separately. Over the following decades it housed John Poor's Academy for Young Ladies, a Masonic Grand Lodge, and Benjamin Tucker's Philadelphia Select Academy. From 1841 to 1897 the Apprentices' Library Company occupied it. It is significant for its long role in the city's religious, social and cultural life, and for its architecture and its continuing use across changing institutions.","period_of_significance":"1784","architect_builder":"Samuel Wetherill (major plans); Timothy Matlack (vault plans)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored to its 1788 condition and described as in excellent condition; moved 33 feet west in 1961 for the widening of Fifth Street.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:31.006648-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/71000063.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000063/d164812539-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000063/d164812539-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_Quaker_Meeting_House_from_northeast.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Beyond My Ken</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Free_Quaker_Meeting_House_from_northeast.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000681","name":"Elfreth's Alley Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/elfreths-alley-historic-district-66000681/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997272","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Quaker_Meetinghouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5500021"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/free-quaker-meetinghouse-71000063/"}