Wesley AME Zion Church
Also known as: Big Wesley
Why it's listed
Built in 1925-26 on the southwest corner of 15th and Lombard Streets in Philadelphia, the Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church is a two-story Gothic church of stone, with a bell tower, a large stained glass window across its front, and a sanctuary on the upper level that seats about two thousand people. The congregation traces its origins to 1820, when about thirty members left Mother Bethel and began worshiping on Lombard Street. In 1821 the congregation joined other churches to form the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Wesley's pastors include eleven who later became bishops of the denomination. During the Depression, the church fed more than 34,000 people in the winter of 1932-33 and housed people in an apartment building. In the 1950s its pastor helped lead the Selective Patronage Program, a series of boycotts that pressed Philadelphia employers to hire Black workers, and the church later supported the founding of the Opportunities Industrialization Center.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is associated with the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, with the congregation's role in regional and national African American church leadership, and with its social and humanitarian work, including feeding and housing people during the Great Depression and later community and civil rights efforts in Philadelphia. The congregation is described as the fourth building it has occupied.
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 78002461, listed December 1, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1500 Lombard St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 1, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002461 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1925-1926 |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Areas of significance | Black, Religion, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Within district | Washington Square West Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.94461, -75.16759 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
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 78002461.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7983837
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.