{"nrhp_refnum":"78002462","name":"Witherspoon Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1319--1323 Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.94929646600008,"lon":-75.16321565299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-09-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An eleven-story steel-frame commercial building on Walnut, Juniper and Sansom Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, faced with polished granite and terra cotta trim. It was built for the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work and completed in December 1897, with its entrances dated 1896 in the ironwork.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a notable early example of skyscraper design in which sculpture is integrated into the monumental architecture. Its medallions and carved details are presented as a striking example of work by prominent artists. It was also the headquarters for many Presbyterian Church bodies and the site of meetings, concerts and religious drama for decades.","narrative":"Eleven-story steel-frame commercial building on Walnut Street in Philadelphia, designed by Joseph M. Huston and completed in December 1897 for the Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work. Its granite and terra cotta facades are decorated with cast medallions, carved angels and bas-relief, with the main entrances on Walnut and Juniper Streets serving as focal points. Sculptors Alexander Sterling Calder and Samuel Murray, with Thomas Eakins involved in the prophet figures, contributed works originally including sixteen terra cotta statues. The building was named after John Witherspoon, the Presbyterian minister and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Its light wells let natural light reach the stairways and nearly every room. For decades it housed Presbyterian offices, including the Presbyterian Historical Society, and Witherspoon Hall hosted meetings, religious drama and concerts, including a 1958 recital by Marian Anderson. The building is significant as an early skyscraper that joined sculpture with architecture.","period_of_significance":"1895-1897","architect_builder":"Joseph M. Huston (architect)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Sold to the Juniper Street Holding Company in December 1973; the terra cotta statues were removed in 1961.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:31.059545-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002462.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002462/41b6fc4a79-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002462/41b6fc4a79-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Witherspoon_Philly.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Witherspoon_Philly.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witherspoon_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8028170"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/witherspoon-building-78002462/"}