Green Hill Farms
Also known as: Eastern Baptist Theoligical Seminary; Palmer Theological Seminary
Why it's listed
Built in 1919 in Wynnewood as a residential hotel by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer for Charles Morris Wood, the four-story brown brick Colonial Revival building offered 150 rooms and suites, a 400-seat dining room, and a garage for 100 cars. Its location on the Pennsylvania Railroad main line put downtown Philadelphia about twelve minutes away. In 1939 the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary bought the hotel, sunken gardens and pool for $550,000 and used it for classrooms, a library and student housing. Students and faculty used the former garage and terrace dining room, and in 1951 a 600-seat chapel designed by William H. Lee was built to the east. The property is regarded as the educational center of the fundamentalist and evangelical Baptist movement in the northern United States, which is the basis for its listing under the religion theme. The 1957 brick addition linking the hotel and garage is also part of the seminary's expansion.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is significant under Criterion A for religion as the educational center of the fundamentalist and evangelical Baptist movement in the northern United States. The Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary converted the former hotel to a seminary in 1939, and the chapel was added in 1951.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000925, listed December 15, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6 E. Lancaster Ave., Lower Merion |
|---|---|
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | December 15, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000925 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1939-1951 |
| Architect / builder | Horace Trumbauer (hotel and garage); William H. Lee (chapel and 1957 addition) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently owned by Palmer Theological Seminary, per the document. |
| Acreage | 8.5 |
| Coordinates | 39.99030, -75.25393 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000925.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q139756794
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.