{"nrhp_refnum":"71000717","name":"Arch Street Presbyterian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1726-1732 Arch St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95454947700006,"lon":-75.16935124599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-05-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Classical Revival church building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a portico and coffered dome. It was dedicated in 1855.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the sanctuary is one of the most notable examples of Greek-inspired architecture in the city, with a monumental interior regarded by some architects as a masterpiece of the classical revival. It also cites the church's historic associations with several well-known visitors and members.","narrative":"Built in Philadelphia as a one-story Classical Revival church, Arch Street Presbyterian Church was dedicated in 1855. Its architect was Joseph C. Hoxie, who worked on the construction with his brother-in-law, Stephen Decatur Button. The exterior has a portico supported on four giant Corinthian columns, with Corinthian pilasters along the walls and a coffered dome. The sanctuary holds 16 Corinthian columns, 22 antae, the dome and a pulpit platform. The central pulpit is made of marble and modeled on a Greek votive altar. The interior mixes Greek and Roman elements and is suggestive in some ways of the Parthenon. Architectural historians have regarded the interior as a masterpiece of the classical revival, and the nomination records that its interiors remain in excellent condition. The church is also associated with visits by Emily Dickinson and the future King Edward VII, and with the Sunday School service of former Pennsylvania governor James Pollock, later director of the Mint.","period_of_significance":"1855","architect_builder":"Joseph C. Hoxie (architect); Stephen Decatur Button, brother-in-law of Hoxie, associated in the construction","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition marked good to excellent; the magnificent interiors are stated to remain in excellent condition, with no major exterior alterations; original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.378186-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/71000717.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000717/5eecd80ff7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000717/5eecd80ff7-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arch_Presby.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arch_Presby.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997362","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_Street_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4785328"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/arch-street-presbyterian-church-71000717/"}