{"nrhp_refnum":"71000064","name":"St. George's Methodist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"324 New St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95508590600008,"lon":-75.14596054799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-05-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick Methodist church at Fourth Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with an adjoining Historical Center made of two joined town houses dating from 1812. The church auditorium is the original 1767-1769 building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is the oldest Methodist church in continuous service in the world and one of three described as Cradles of American Methodism. It notes early conferences of American Methodism, Francis Asbury's first sermon in America, and Richard Allen's licensing to preach, along with its association with notable worshippers and Revolutionary War service.","narrative":"Old St. George's, a three-story Flemish-bond brick church on Fourth Street in Philadelphia, was begun in 1767 when the local congregation first met in a sail loft on Dock Street. In 1769 it acquired the unfinished building from Dutch Presbyterians forced to auction it. The church is regarded as the oldest Methodist church in continuous service in the world and is one of three described as Cradles of American Methodism. Francis Asbury preached his first sermon in America here in 1771, and the first three conferences of American Methodism were held in the building between 1773 and 1775. In 1784 Richard Allen, the first Black man licensed to preach by the Methodists in America, was licensed here. The adjoining Historical Center, two joined town houses dating from 1812, is part of the complex. The church's significance rests on these religious firsts and its role in the early life of American Methodism.","period_of_significance":"1767-1812","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Altered; original site. The church has a raised basement from street lowerings, and the Historical Center shutters have been removed.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.725623-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/71000064.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000064/940213280e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000064/940213280e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Beyond My Ken","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_St._George%27s_Church.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:Old_St._George%27s_Church.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/71997372","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_United_Methodist_Church_(Philadelphia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588176"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/st-georges-methodist-church-71000064/"}