The First African Baptist Church 1600-06 Christian Street

NominationoftheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch,1600–06ChristianStreetforthePhiladelphiaRegisterofHistoricPlaces.

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FirstAfricanBaptistChurch,1600‐06ChristianStreet,circa1957.CourtesyTempleUniversityArchives.

ForDesignationinthePhiladelphiaRegisterofHistoricPlaces:

TheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch1600‐06ChristianStreet

“FirstandOldestAfricanBaptistCongregationinPhiladelphia”

NOMINATION OF HISTORIC BUILDING, STRUCTURE, SITE, OR OBJECT PHILADELPHIA REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

PHILADELPHIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION SUBMIT ALL ATTACHED MATERIALS ON PAPER AND IN ELECTRONIC FORM ON CD (MS WORD FORMAT)

1. ADDRESS OF HISTORIC RESOURCE (must comply with an Office of Property Assessment address)

Street address:__________________________________________________________________

Postal code:_______________ Councilmanic District:__________________________

2. NAME OF HISTORIC RESOURCE

Historic Name:__________________________________________________________________

Common Name:_________________________________________________________________

3. TYPE OF HISTORIC RESOURCE

Building Structure Site Object

4. PROPERTY INFORMATION

Condition: excellent good fair poor ruins

Occupancy: occupied vacant under construction unknown

Current use:____________________________________________________________________

5. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

Please attach a plot plan and written description of the boundary.

6. DESCRIPTION

Please attach a description of the historic resource and supplement with current photographs.

7. SIGNIFICANCE

Please attach the Statement of Significance.

Period of Significance (from year to year): from _________ to _________

Date(s) of construction and/or alteration:______________________________________________

Architect, engineer, and/or designer:_________________________________________________

Builder, contractor, and/or artisan:___________________________________________________

Original owner:__________________________________________________________________

Other significant persons:__________________________________________________________

1600-06 Christian Street

19146 2

First African Baptist Church

Church

1906 present

Constructed: 1906

Watson & Huckel



Harry B. Shoemaker & Co.

CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION:

The historic resource satisfies the following criteria for designation (check all that apply): (a) Has significant character, interest or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural

characteristics of the City, Commonwealth or Nation or is associated with the life of a person significant in the past; or,

(b) Is associated with an event of importance to the history of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or,

(c) Reflects the environment in an era characterized by a distinctive architectural style; or, (d) Embodies distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or engineering specimen; or, (e) Is the work of a designer, architect, landscape architect or designer, or engineer whose work

has significantly influenced the historical, architectural, economic, social, or cultural development of the City, Commonwealth or Nation; or,

(f) Contains elements of design, detail, materials or craftsmanship which represent a significant innovation; or,

(g) Is part of or related to a square, park or other distinctive area which should be preserved according to an historic, cultural or architectural motif; or,

(h) Owing to its unique location or singular physical characteristic, represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community or City; or,

(i) Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in pre-history or history; or (j) Exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historical heritage of the community.

8. MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

Please attach a bibliography.

9. NOMINATOR

Name with Title___________________________________ Email________________________________

Organization______________________________________Date________________________________

Street Address____________________________________Telephone____________________________

City, State, and Postal Code______________________________________________________________

Nominator is is not the property owner.

PHC USE ONLY

Date of Receipt:_______________________________________________________________________

Correct-Complete Incorrect-Incomplete Date:_________________________________

Date of Notice Issuance:_________________________________________________________________

Property Owner at Time of Notice

Name:_________________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

City:_______________________________________ State:____ Postal Code:_________

Date(s) Reviewed by the Committee on Historic Designation:____________________________________

Date(s) Reviewed by the Historical Commission:______________________________________________

Date of Final Action:____________________________________________________________________

Designated Rejected 4/11/13

Oscar Beisert, Architectural Historian

Off Boundary Preservation Brigade

[email protected]

7 April 2015

205 Rochelle Avenue 717-602-5002

Philadelphia, PA 19128


Philadelphia

1600-06 Christian Street

PA 19146

1 July 2015, edits returned 21 July 2015

24 July 2015

24 July 2015

16 September 2015

9 October 2015


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5.BoundaryDescription

The boundary of the First African Baptist Church at 1600‐06 Christian StreetencompassesarectangularlotlocatedonthesouthwestcorneroftheintersectionofChristian and 16th Streets. The parcel contains in front or breadth on ChristianStreet roughly sixty‐seven (67’) feet, and of that width extends southwardlybetweenlinesparallelandalong16thStreetonehundredandtwenty‐ninefeet,eightandone‐halfinches(129’‐8‐1/2”)toMontroseStreet,whichhasthesamefrontageasChristian.ThepropertyisknownasParcelNo.007S03–0011,OfficeofPropertyAssessmentAccountNo.772104000.


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6.BuildingDescription

Lookingsouthwest.

The First African Baptist Church is located at the southwest corner of 16th andChristianStreets,inanurbanresidentialneighborhoodofprimarilytwoandthree‐storyItalianaterowhouses.Thechurch,whichextendsthefulldepthoftheblocktoMontrose Street, is primarily freestanding, with only a partial connection to anadjoiningbrownstone‐cladtownhouseatitsnorthwestcorner.Thebuildingiscladinuncoursedashlarandfeaturessmoothlimestonedetails.Thebaseofthebuildingfeaturesacontinuous,uncoursedashlarwatertablecappedwithasmoothlimestonebeltcourse.Thenameofthechurchisannouncedbyalarge,non‐historicsignwhichprojectsat45degreesfromthecornerofthe16thandChristianStreetfacades.North(ChristianStreet)ElevationThenorth,orChristianStreet,elevationservesastheprimaryfaçadeofthechurch.It is divided into three masses: a large, square tower at the northeast corner; acentral gable‐front section that holds the main sanctuary space; and a smaller,lower,squareturretatthenorthwestcorner.Thelargecornertowerdominatesthenortheast cornerat16th andChristianStreets.Asa resultofdamage fromseveralstorms,thetowerhasbeenreducedinheight,andiscurrentlytoppedwithasimple,squared stone cap. Each corner of the tower is articulated by a shallow, narrow,setbackbuttress,which culminateat approximately theheightof the second floorwindowinasmall,stylizedlimestonepinnacleandfinial.Atthebaseofthetower,justabove thewatertable, isacornerstonewith thenameof thechurch,date that


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thechurchwasorganized,anddateofconstruction.Adjacenttothecornerstoneisthe primary entrance, a pointed‐arch doorway articulated by a smooth limestonesurround, and accessed via three stone steps. Within the opening is a pair ofrectangularwoodendoorswithornamentalstraphinges,andadecorativepointed‐arch transom.Above theentrance isasingle,pointed‐archstrained‐glasswindow,definedby ashlar voussoirs and a smooth limestone sill. Evidenceof a third‐floorwindowispresentintheformofaninfilledopeningandsill.Thetowerhistoricallyextended much higher and featured a dramatic bell tower with pointed‐archopenings and decorative tracery and was topped with a castellated parapet andcornerspires.Tothewestofthetoweristhegable‐frontportionofthebuilding,whichisrecessedslightly from its flanking turrets. At the ground level, this portion of the buildingfeatures four basement window openings set within the watertable, and cappedwith the limestone beltcourse that runs the entire length of the façade. Thesymmetrical,rectangularopeningsfeatureapatternofsingle,double,double,single.Theeasternmostsinglewindowhasbeeninfilledwithnon‐historicglassblockandabricksill. Atthefirstfloorlevelaretwosetsofstained‐glasswindowswhichalignwiththedoublewindowsbelow.Theserectangularsetsofwindowsfeaturesmoothlimetonelintelsandsills.Abovethesewindowsisalarge,pointed‐archstained‐glasswindowthatservesthemainsanctuaryspace.Thearchedwindowissurroundedbyashlarvoussoirsandfeaturesasmooth limestonesill.Attheattic level, justbelowthe peak of the roof, are three rectangular louvered openings, the center one ofwhichistallerthantheflankingopenings.Althoughtheopeningsareseparatedbyareas of ashlar, they feature a continuous limestone sill. The limestone lintels areconnected, but jog up and around the center opening. The gable is toppedwith astoneOMEGAfinial.Atthenorthwesterncornerofthefaçadeisalower,squareturret.Thegroundflooroftheturretfeaturesasecondaryentrance,withanarrowerdoorandtransomwithsimilardetailing to theprimaryentrance.Thepointed‐archedopening is accessedbytwostoneorconcretesteps,andistoppedwithashlarvoussoirs.Atthesecondfloorlevelisanarrow,pointed‐archstained‐glasswindowwithashlarvoussoirsanda limestonesill.Thetopoftheturretendsseveral feetbelowthegableroofofthesanctuary, and features an ashlar parapet which rises from a small limestonecornicesupportedbywidely‐spacedlimestonedentils.East(16thStreet)ElevationTheeast,or16thStreet,elevationisdividedintothreemasses.Movingfromnorthtosouth(orvisuallyrighttoleft),thefaçadefeatures:theeasternandsouthernfacadesof thenortheast tower;a1.5‐story, four‐baysideelevation,whichterminates inaslightlyprojectingentrancebaywithacastellatedparapet;and,atthecornerof16thandMontroseStreets,afront‐gablesection,whichextendswestwardtocreateaT‐intersectionwith the roof of the primary gable‐front portion of the building thatfronts on 16th Street. The eastern elevation of the northeast tower features threeopenings: a basement‐level window in the watertable, below the limestone


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beltcourse;arectangularstained‐glasswindowwithlimestonelintelandsillatthefirst‐floor level;andapointed‐archwindowwithashlarvoussoirsanda limestonesillatthesecond‐floorlevel.Evidenceofathird‐floorwindowispresentintheformof changes in the masonry pointing and a stone sill. A portion of the southernelevationof the tower is visible above the tall, 1.5‐story sectionof the16th Streetfaçade.Thisportionofthetowerfeaturesnopenetrations.To thesouthof the tower isa1.5‐storysection that features fourbaysof stained‐glasswindows.At theground‐level, thereare four,square,stained‐glassbasementwindows set within the watertable. These windows are topped by the limestonebeltcourse,and featurebluestonesills.Theouter twowindowsarewidelyspaced,whiletheinnertwowindowsaremorecloselyspaced.Themostprominentfeaturesofthisportionofthebuildingarethefour,pointed‐arch,stained‐glasswindowsthatdominate the upper 1.5 floors of the façade. Thesewindows are alignedwith thebasementwindows. They are toppedwith ashlar voussoirs and feature limestonesills.Immediatelytothesouthofthefourthwindowisashallowprojectingentrancebay accessed via a non‐historic set of steps and ADA‐accessible rampwith blackmetal railing, constructed between 2007 and 2009. The pointed‐arch doorwayresembles,but isslightlynarrowerthan, theprimaryentranceonChristianStreet.Theopening is articulatedbya limestone surround,withinwhich is set adouble‐door with elaborate strap hinges and an intricate transom. Centered above theentranceisasingle,rectangularwindowwithalimestonelintelandsill.Justabovethelintelisalimestonecornicesupportedbythick,widely‐spaceddentils.Asimple,castellatedashlarparapetrisesabovethelimestonecornice.Visiblefromadistance,butnotreadilyvisiblefromthepedestrianviewalong16thStreet,istheclerestoryofthemainsanctuaryspace,whichrisesaboveandbehindthe1.5‐storyportionof the16thStreetelevation.Theclerestorywall features fourarchedwindowswithhoodmolding.Thewindowsare separatedbyblind traceryoverasmoothly‐finishedwall.Thegablerooffeaturesasimpledenticulatedcornice.At the southern end of the 16th Street façade, at the corner of 16th andMontroseStreets, is a gable‐front portion of the elevation. This symmetrical portion of thefaçade features three bays ofwindows—awide central bay dominated by a two‐story, stained‐glass window, and flanked by identical, narrower bays of singlewindows.Thebaysareseparatedbyshallow,narrowbuttressesmatchingthoseonthenortheastcornertower.Theflankingbayseachfeaturethreealignedwindows:arectangular basement window with limestone lintel and bluestone sill; arectangular, stained‐glass, first‐floor windowwith limestone lintel and sill; and apointed‐arch stained‐glass window at the second‐floor level with a limestone silland ashlar voussoir surround. Unlike the other basement windows on the 16thStreet and Christian Street facades, the windows on this portion of the buildingfeature thick limestone lintels set beneath the limestone beltcourse that caps thewatertable.Thewide,centralbayfeaturestworectangularbasementwindowswithlimestone lintels and bluestone sills. The dominant feature of this portion of thebuilding is thetwo‐story,segmental‐arched,stained‐glasswindowthatalignswiththebasementwindowsbelow.Thewindowfeaturesa limestonesilland is toppedwithashlarvoussoirs.At theattic level, centeredbelow thepeakof thegable, are


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threelouveredopeningslikethosealongtheChristianStreetfaçade—atallercentralopeningflankedbytwoshorteropenings.Thegableiscappedwithstonecopingandtoppedwithadecorative,stonefinial.South(MontroseStreet)Elevation The south facade along Montrose Street is the side elevation of the gable‐frontportionofthebuildingfrontingon16thStreet.Liketheothertwofacades,thesouthfaçadeiscladinuncoursedashlarandfeaturesanashlarwatertablecappedwithasmooth limestonebeltcourse.Thefaçadeis fourbayswide, featuringfromwesttoeast (or left toright)asinglebaywithapedestriandoor at the first floor,withasingle,pointed‐archopeningabove,followedbythreebaysofpairedwindowsatthebasement,first,andsecondfloors.Thepedestriandoorisaccessedbyfivestoneorconcretestepsandfeaturesanon‐historic,flatmetaldoormountedbyasingle‐litetransomand flat limestone lintel.Aligned above thedoorway is a single, pointed‐archwindowopeningwith a limestone sill and toppedwith ashlar voussoirs.Thewindow has been boarded up from the interior, with only the wooden frameremaining.Theotherthreebaysofwindowsalongthisfaçadefeatureidenticalpairsofwindowsateachfloor.Eachbayfeaturestworectangularbasementwindowssetwithin the watertable, and toppedwith a thick limestone lintel. At the first‐floorlevel,eachbayfeaturesapairofrectangular,stained‐glasswindowswithlimestonelintelsandsills.Alignedabovethelowerlevelwindows,theupperfloorfeaturestwopointed‐arch, stained‐glass upper‐floorwindows at each bay. Thesewindows aretoppedwithashlarvoussoirsandhavelimestonelintels.Thefaçadeistoppedwithasimple metal cornice and pole gutter. Beyond the roofline rises the pointedclerestoryofthemainsanctuaryspace.Theclerestoryiscladinverticalpanelsandfeaturesthreelouveredopeningsidenticaltothosefoundontheoppositeendofthegable.WestElevationThe west elevation of the First African Baptist Church is the only semi‐attachedelevationof thebuilding.Thenorthhalfof thewest façade isattachedat the firsttwo floorsat theheightof thewestern turret.Visible fromthesouthonMontroseStreet through an adjacent parking lot, the west elevation is the only undressedelevation of the building. The ashlar of the south façade keys into the simple redbrickofthewesternfaçade.Themostprominentaspectofthiselevationisthegableendofthe16thStreetgableportionofthebuilding,whichconnectsat itsnorthernend to a two‐story portion of the building. The two‐story section is only semi‐exposedbeforeitdisappearsbehindanadjacentbuilding.Thisplaneofthebuildingfeaturessevenrectangularbasement/groundfloorwindowsofvaryingwidths;fouridentical,rectangular,first‐floorwindows;fivepointed‐archwindowsatthesecond‐floorlevel,andtworectangularatticwindowscenteredbeneaththegable.Beyondthis plane rises a tall brick chimney, and behind that, the clerestory of themainsanctuaryspace.Theclerestoryisdecoratedwithblindtraceryandfeaturesarchedwindowswithhoodmolding. It is toppedwith a simple denticulated cornice.Theclerestory continues the length of the building back to the main Christian Streetfaçade,andisseparatedfromtheadjacentbuildingbyfivefeet.


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Betweentheuppermostpartofthefacadeandtheroofline,likelyofmetalwhichhasminimaldetail.Recessedfromthefacadewithintheroofisthesouthfacinggableoftheclerestory,whichisfinishedinwhatappearstobecopperand/oranotherkindoforiginalmetalmaterialthatisdesignedtoemulateaboard‐and‐battenfascia.Atthe center of this elevation is a duplication of the three‐part aperture containinglouvered vents at the primary, north and the east elevations. Thewesternelevationisonlyvisibleforafewfeetandfeaturesredbrickcladding.Thereareroughlyfourteenaperturesat thiselevation,butthedesign isrelatedtoformerstructuresonthesizethatarenolongerpresent.

Lookingsouth.


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Lookingsouth.

Lookingsoutheast.


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Lookingsouth.


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Lookingnorthwest.

Lookingwest.


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Lookingwest.

Lookingsouthwest.


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Lookingnortheast.

Lookingsouth.


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Lookingsouthwest.


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Lookingwest.


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FirstAfricanBaptistChurch,Christianand16thStreets,circa1957.CourtesyTempleUniversityArchives.

7.STATEMENTOFSIGNIFICANCEFirstAfricanBaptistChurch,1600‐06ChristianStreet,isasignificantresourcethatmeritsdesignationbythePhiladelphiaHistoricalCommissionandinclusiononthePhiladelphia Register of Historic Places. Located at the southwest corner ofChristian and 16th Streets in southwest Center City or the “Graduate Hospital”neighborhood,FirstAfricanBaptistChurchsatisfiesCriteriaforDesignation(a)and(j).


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(a)Has significant character, interest, or value as part of the development,heritageorculturalcharacteristicsoftheCity,Commonwealth,orNationorisassociatedwiththelifeofapersonsignificantinthepast;(j)Exemplifies thecultural,political,economic, socialorhistoricalheritageofthecommunity.

ThebuildingatthesouthwestcornerofChristianand16thStreetswasconstructedin1906,and issignificantas theoneof theoldestpurpose‐builtAfricanAmericanhousesofworshipinPhiladelphia,aswellastheonlyextantbuildingrepresentingtheoldestAfricanBaptist congregation—FirstAfricanBaptist,whichwas the fifthAfricanAmericancongregationtobefoundedinPhiladelphia.Thebuildingat1600‐06ChristianStreet is the longesthomeofthecongregation,whohasworshipedinthis space for over 100 years. Furthermore, the building represents an importantcommunitycenterinthelocalcommunityfrom1906throughtheearlytwenty‐firstcentury.

Criteria A and J: Constructed in 1906 and designed by the importantarchitectural firm ofWatson & Huckel, the First African Baptist Church at1600‐06ChristianStreethasbeenhometothefirstandoldestAfricanBaptistcongregation inPhiladelphia forover100years.Thebuilding isalsooneofthefewexamplesfromitsperiodofapurpose‐built,architect‐designedchurchforanAfricanAmerican congregation.Furthermore thebuilding is theonlyextantresourcethatrepresentsthehistoryofthisimportantcongregation.Inaddition, since 1906, the First African Baptist Church has been a majorcommunity center in the neighborhood,whichwas for decades home to alargeAfricanAmericanpopulation.Note: While the building is significant under the criteria related toarchitecture,we have chosen to concentrate on CriteriaA and J due to theremovalofthetower.Thefactthatthebuildingwasapurpose‐builthouseofworshipforanAfricanAmericancongregationanddesignedbyanimportantarchitectisrelevanttoitssignificanceunderCriteriaAandJ.BirthoftheAfricanAmericanChurchAfricanAmericanChristianity in theUnitedStatescan trace itsorigin to theGreatAwakening. Between 1740 and 1790, charismatic revivalists toured the colonies,preaching messages of salvation for all, a movement that became known as theGreat Awakening. The Great Awakening made a particularly profound impact onPhiladelphia because eighteenth‐century Philadelphia was home to one of thelargest freeAfricanAmerican communities in the country.1Themovement,whichembracedmen and women of all races and regardless of background, resonatedwithAfricanAmericansinparticular.HistorianssuspectthatthefervoroftheGreat

1EdwardD.Smith,ClimbingJacob’sLadder:TheRiseofBlackChurchesinEasternAmericanCities,1740–1877(Washington,D.C.andLondon:SmithsonianInstitutionPress,1988),23–28.


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Awakening’s revival meetings resonated with African Americans because to adegree,themeetingsresembledthoseoftheirWestAfricanancestorsbecauseoftheincorporationofemotionalexperiencessuchasdancingandshoutingasanaturalpartoftheworshipservice.2Despite the egalitarian values underlying the spirit of the Great Awakening,established religious institutions remained reluctant to grant African Americancongregants the full rights and responsibilities possessed by their whitecounterparts. This fostered the sentiment fromwhich separate African Americandenominations and congregations grew. Because the Methodist and Baptistdenominationsarelesshierarchicalandemphasizedformaleducationofclergylessso than other denominations, most African American converts joined eitherMethodistorBaptistcongregationsthatwerepredominantlywhite.3

ASundayMorningViewoftheAfricanEpiscopalChurchofSt.ThomasinPhiladelphia.LithographbyW.L.Breton(Philadelphia,1823).CourtesyoftheHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania.

America’sindependentAfricanAmericanchurchwasborninPhiladelphiawhenin1787 a group of African American worshippers led by Richard Allen left thepredominatelywhiteSt.George’sMethodistEpiscopalChurch to foundaseparate,independent African American denomination. Allen was born into slavery in

2Smith,ClimbingJacob’sLadder,30–31.3Smith,ClimbingJacob’sLadder,31–33.


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DelawareontheestateofattorneyBenjaminChew,wholaterservedasChiefJusticeof the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as the owner of Cliveden inGermantown. Six years after Allen bought his freedom in 1780, he and anothermemberofSt.George’s,AbsalomJones,foundedtheFreeAfricanSociety.4In1787,AfricanAmericanworshippersofSt.George’swererelegatedtostandingalongtheback wall while pews were reserved for white members. According to Allen’smemoirs, on a Sunday in 1787, the church’s sexton asked African Americanmemberstovacatethemainfloortoworshipinthegalleryabove.Whileprayingonthemain floor, Absalom Jones andWilliamWhitewere forcibly removed despitetheirprotests,astheyhadbeenkneelinginprayer.ThisincidentmotivatedmanyofSt. George’s African American worshippers to leave the church permanently andestablished a congregation of forty‐two African American Christians, in whichworshipcouldbeconductedfreely.5Consisting of former members of St. George’s, the newly formed groupcontemplatedMethodism.However,unabletoreachaconsensus,thememberssplitinto two independent churches in 1794: St. Thomas Episcopal Church andBethelChurch. Notably, St. Thomas, led by Absalom Jones, opted to join an existingdenominationwhileBethel, ledbyRichardAllen, retained its stronghold. In1816,Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church—a separate, independentAfrican American denomination. The AfricanMethodist Episcopal Church, knowncommonly as the A.M.E. Church, is the oldest independent African Americandenominationintheworld.6In the twodecades followingtheestablishmentof theAfricanEpiscopalChurchofSt. Thomas and Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, three otherAfricanAmericanchurcheswerefoundedinPhiladelphia,includingZoarMethodistEpiscopal Church (1796), First African Presbyterian Church (1807), and FirstAfricanBaptistChurch(1809).7First African Baptist Church–the Oldest African American BaptistCongregationinPhiladelphiaUntil 1809, African American Baptists in Philadelphia worshipped in primarilywhiteBaptist congregations. FirstAfricanBaptist Churchwas establishedon June19,1809bythirteenformercongregantsoftheprimarily‐whiteFirstBaptistChurchof Philadelphia.8These individuals had “come to Philadelphia from the easternshore of Virginia to escape the cruel treatment of slave masters.“9First AfricanBaptist Church’s founding members had seen their Methodist Episcopal4CyrilE.Griffith,“RichardAllen:TheFirstProminentBlackReligiousLeaderinPennsylvania”inJohnM.Coleman,RobertG.Christ,andJohnB.Frantzeds.,PennsylvaniaReligiousLeaders,PennsylvaniaHistoricStudiesSeries16(UniversityPark,PA:PennsylvaniaHistoricalAssociation,1986),11–12.5Griffith,“RichardAllen,”12.6Smith,ClimbingJacob’sLadder,3135–37.7National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, African American Churches of Philadelphia,1787–1949.8CharlesH.Brooks,OfficialHistoryoftheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch(Philadelphia:1977),3.9Brooks,OfficialHistory,1–3.


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counterpartsestablishaseparateAfricanAmericandenominationinresponsetotheoriginaldenomination’s failure tograntAfricanAmericanmembers full rightsandresponsibilities.AfricanAmericanBaptistsfaceddiscriminationaswell,but itssplit, incomparisonto that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was less controversial. According toCharlesH.Brooks’OfficialHistoryoftheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch,Philadelphia,“Itis beyond controversy that the relation of thewhite and coloredmembers of theFirstBaptistChurchwasof themostcordialandChristianmanner.”10In fact,FirstBaptist Church of Philadelphia granted each of the thirteen foundingmembers ofFirst African Baptist Church voluntary letters of dismissal to establish anindependentAfricanAmericancongregation“underthecareandprotectionoftheirMother Church.”11At the Philadelphia Baptist Association’s annual meeting inOctober1809,FirstAfricanBaptistChurchwaswelcomedasamember.Itbecamethe fifth African American church in Philadelphia, as well as the first AfricanAmericanBaptistchurchinPhiladelphiaandPennsylvania.12

The Revd. Henry Simmons, Pastor of the First Incorporated African Baptist Church in the City of Philadelphia. Lithograph by Albert Newsam after an oil painting by Joseph Kyle

(Philadelphia, 1838). Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

10Brooks,OfficialHistory,1.11Brooks,OfficialHistory,1.12National Register of Historic PlacesMultiple Property Documentation Form, African American Churches of Philadelphia,1787–1949.


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Under the leadership of first pastor Reverend Henry Simmons, the youngcongregationacquiredalotat10thandVineStreetsintheSpringGardenDistrictofPhiladelphia. The lot measured twenty‐six feet in width and thirty‐seven feet inlength.13Uponthisgroundthecongregationbuiltitsfirsthouseofworship,asmallwood‐frame building. Cunningham served the church from 1809 until 1813. Thecongregation’ssecondpastor,ReverendJohnKing,orchestratedtwomovesduringhis tenure from 1813 to 1832, abandoning their original building early in theirhistory.King, anordainedwhiteminister fromVirginia, guided the congregation’smove toDeFriese’sCourt (11thStreet,nearVineStreet) in1813and toHavilandPlace(8thStreet,belowVineStreet)in1825.14

Old Mother Church, Cherry Street. Courtesy the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is the story of First African Baptist Church’s third pastor that exemplifies thecongregation’s unwavering dedication to its faith and its people. This story issummarized on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s (PHMC)

13Brooks,OfficialHistory,3.14Brooks,OfficialHistory,4.


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historicalmarker that standsoutside theChristianStreetentranceof thechurch’scurrentbuilding.Bornintoslavery,VirginianJamesBurrowsbecamepastorofFirstAfrican Baptist Church in 1832 when cousins Samuel Bivens and John Bivensvolunteered themselves as collateral in exchange for Burrows’ freedom. Burrowsplannedtoearn theamountnecessary topurchasehiscousins’ freedom,andthenreturntoNorthamptonCounty,Virginiatopreach.In1833,Burrowsdidso,freeingthe Bivens cousins; but, instead of returning to Virginia, he remained inPhiladelphia. Under Burrow’s pastorate (1832–1844), the fledgling congregationgrew from sixty members to 252 members, organizing a Sunday School in theprocess.15Following Burrows, Rev. Richard Vaughn (1846–1857), Rev. James Underdew(1859–1863), and Rev. Theodore Doughty Miller (1864–1897) each served aspastorofthecongregation.16In1867,underthepastorateofRev.Miller,thechurchpurchasedahouseofworshipinwhichitwouldremainfornearlyfortyyears.Theproperty,locatedonthenorthsideofCherryStreetbetween10thand11thStreets,wasflankedatitsnorthandwestpropertylinesbyacourtformedbyWheatStreet(now Clifton Street). Here, the congregation moved into an existing brick GreekRevival style building that had been built by a white Reformed Presbyteriancongregation,which incidentallywas the only church in Philadelphia to allow thefamousBritishAbolitionistGeorgeThompsonspeakin1834.17By 1899, First African Baptist Church had outgrown the Cherry Street church. Inpart, thiswasdue to the strong leadershipofRev.WilliamA.Creditt,pastor from1897 to 1915. Because the landlocked church could not be enlarged, thecongregation came to the decision, after two years of careful deliberation, torelocate.18Ultimately, the church chose to relocate to southwest Center City.Originally a distinctmunicipality calledMoyamensing, southwest Center Citywasalready home to many African Americans. By 1837, 18% of the area’s AfricanAmericanpopulation lived inMoyamensing,whichwassurpassedonlyby thecityproper(62%).19By1849,21%ofthecity’sAfricanAmericanchurcheswerelocatedinMoyamensing.20Thenorthernendof thisneighborhoodwas covered inW.E.B.DuBois’ famous studyof theAfricanAmericans in the7thWard,publishedby theUniversityofPennsylvaniain1899.21

15Brooks,OfficialHistory,8.16Brooks,OfficialHistory,9–14.17Brooks,OfficialHistory,51–52;WilliamP.WhiteandWilliamH.Scott,ThePresbyterianChurchinPhiladelphia:ACameraandPenSketchofEachPresbyterianChurchandInstitutionintheCity(Philadelphia:Allen,Lane&Scott,1894),235.18Brooks,OfficialHistory,21.19Statistical Inquiry Into the Condition of thePeople of Color of the City andDistricts ofPhiladelphia (Philadelphia: Kite &Walton,1849),29.20National Register of Historic PlacesMultiple Property Documentation Form, African American Churches of Philadelphia,1787–1949.21W.E. Burghardt Du Bois, The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study, Series in Political Economy and Public Law, no. 14(Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvania,1899).


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FirstAfricanBaptistChurch,16thandChristianStreetsIn1902,thecongregationpurchasedalotmeasuringsixty‐sevenfeetwidebyonehundredtwenty‐nineandahalffeetdeepatthesouthwestcornerof16thandChristianStreets,whichcontainedtwobuildings—1606ChristianStreet,asinglerowhouseonthewestsideofthelotand1604ChristianStreet,asmallbrickbuilding.22Theremainderofthelotwas“virginsoil,orchard.”23ThelotwassoldtotheFirstAfricanBaptistChurchofPhiladelphiaonDecember30th,1902fromtheestateofbrickmanufacturer,JamesJ.Milnamow.24MilnanowwhohadpurchasedthepropertyfromWilliamArmstrong,Jr.in1882,hadlivedwithhisfamilyat1606ChristianStreetanddiedin1897.25Thechurchpaid$16,500forthenewlot.Fiveyearslater,thechurchsolditsCherryStreetbuildingfor$30,000totheFarmJournalCompany,whichhadalreadyacquiredlotsadjacenttothechurchinordertoassembleasiteforalargeprintingplant.26

TheOldestLivingMembers,1922.CourtesytheNewYorkPublicLibrary.

22Brooks,OfficialHistory, 52. andGeorgeW.BromleyandWalkerS.Bromley,AtlasoftheCityofPhiladelphia (Philadelphia:G.W.Bromley&Co.,1895),plate3.23Brooks,OfficialHistory,52.24Deed:JacobJ.HitschlerandCharlesA.Young,executorsofthewillofJamesMilnamow,toTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurchofPhiladelphia,30December1902,DeedBookW.S.V.,No.135,p.490,CityArchivesofPhiladelphia(hereafterCAP).25Deed: Hitschler and others to First African Baptist, 1902, CAP; The ClayWorker, 28 (October 1897): 27–28; Boyd’sPhiladelphiaBlueBook:TheFashionablePrivateAddressDirectoryandLadies’Visiting&ShoppingGuideofPhiladelphiaandSurroundings(Philadelphia:C.E.Howe&Co.,1887),369.26Brooks,OfficialHistory, 52; “The Latest News in Real Estate: First African Baptist Church on Cherry StreetHas ChangedHands—FrankMarrinDisposesofWestPhiladelphiaLots,”PhiladelphiaInquirer,21October1907.


25

Architectural drawings showing the façade of the First African Baptist Church, circa 1904. Courtesy the New York Public Library.

Christian Street, an important thoroughfare,was linedwith three‐story brick rowhouses featuring architectural embellishments associated with the upper middleclass, with church buildings dotting the landscape. In 1895, there were sevenchurchesfrontingonChristianStreet,whichstoodalongtheelevenblocksbetweenBroadStreettotheeastandGraysFerryAvenuetothewestincluding:BroadStreetMethodistEpiscopalChurch(southwestcornerofBroadandChristianStreets);8thUnitedPresbyterianChurch(northeastcornerof15thandChristianStreets);TaborPresbyterianChurch (southwest corner of 18th andChristian Streets); St. CharlesBorromeoRomanCatholicChurch(southwestcornerof20thandChristianStreets);ChurchoftheHolyApostles(southeastcornerof21standChristianStreets);PilgrimBaptistChurch(2200blockofChristianStreet);andaMethodistEpiscopalChurch(2400blockofChristianStreet).Ofthesesevenchurchesonlythreeareextant.Theblockstothenorth,south,east,andwestofthelotatthesouthwestcornerof16thandChristian Streetswere linedwithmostly simpler two‐story brick rowhousesthataretypicallyassociatedwiththeworkingclass.27

27Bromley,AtlasoftheCityofPhiladelphia(1895),plates3,23.


26

The congregation commissioned the Philadelphia firm of Watson & Huckel (fl.1902–1917)todesignaGothicRevivalstylechurchandschool.28ThecontractwasawardedtothefirmonJune8,1904.29ThefirmofWatson&Huckeldesignedmanychurchesduetothefactthatitsprincipals,FrankR.WatsonandSamuelHuckel,Jr.gainedvaluableexperienceunderCatholic churcharchitectEdwinForrestDurangandProtestantchurcharchitectBenjaminD.Pricerespectively.FirstAfricanBaptistChurch isamong the firm’searliestworks. Inaddition,Watson&Huckeldesignedcivic buildings thoughtout the Northeast, including Union Station in Worcester,MassachusettsandCumberlandCountyCourthouseinBridgeton,NewJersey.30

BriefHistoricalReviewofFristAfricanBaptist.CourtesytheHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania.

28“TheLatestNewsinRealEstate.ContractClosedforNew$40,000StoneBaptistChurch16thandChristianSts,”PhiladelphiaInquirer.21September1905.29PhiladelphiaRealEstateRecordandBuilder’sGuide,16October1904,68730PhiladelphiaArchitectsandBuildings,s.v.“Watson&Huckel(fl.1902–1917),”bySandraL.Tatman,accessedJune23,2015,https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/111087.


27

Built by Harry B. Shoemaker and Company at a cost of $100,000, First AfricanBaptist Church’s current building was completed in 1906, three years before itshundredth anniversary.31Anticipating the need to commemorate this milestone,Rev. William A. Creditt designed four stained glass windows specifically for thebuilding.Thewindows,which are visible from the16th Street façade, “eloquentlynamethestruggles,achievementsandhistoryofthecongregationforthepast100years.”32Thebuildingalsofeatureda96‐foottallbelltowerthatjoineditstwomainelevationsatthesouthwestcornerof16thandChristianStreets.Intheearly2000sthe tower succumbed to damage caused by a lighting strike in the 1950s andHurricaneFloydin1999.33Thoughmissingitstower,thewordsprintedina1912biographical sketch of Rev. Creditt ring true today: “This edifice is finest amongcoloredpeopleinthecityofPhiladelphiaandoneofthefinestinthecountry…”34FollowingRev.WilliamA.Creditt, fivepastors servedFirstAfricanBaptistChurchduringthetwentiethcenturyincludingRev.WilliamA.Harrod(1916‐1947),Rev.D.ManningJackson(1949–1950),Rev.CharlesSumnerLee(1951–1974),Rev.WilliamO. Jackson (1974–1976), Rev. Randall McCaskill (1976–1979), and Rev. Elvis L.TurnerSr.(1981–2000).35Rev.CharlesSumnerLeeisparticularlynotable.BorninWashingtonD.C.,Lee’sfamilyappearstohavemovedtoPhiladelphiawhenhewasachild, as he was always considered “a son of First African Baptist Church.” Leeeventuallybecameapastorand ledtheKaighnAvenueBaptistChurch inCamden,NJ. In1951,hewas “called toservice”byhishomechurch,FirstAfricanBaptist.36According to a 1959 history of the church authored by the church’s HistoryCommittee,“HisadministrationintheFirstAfricanBaptistChurchwasonethatwascharacterizedbyradicalchangeandthesubsequentupheavalthattoooftenfollowsevery change in stable situations. There was a loss of membership from thecongregationatthis time.”37Leereversedthistrendof lossbygrowingthechurchfrom1,000membersto1,700members.AlsounderLee,thebuildingwasrestored;the interiorandexteriorwererepainted,woodwindowframeswerereplaced, thestained glass windows were repaired, and a new pipe organ and speakers wereinstalled.Inaddition,thechurchrenovatedtheannexcontainingofficeandmeetingspacesat1608ChristianStreet.Thechurchhadacquired theannex,a three‐storybrownstone‐facedrowhouseintheearlytwentiethcentury.38

31Note:WhilePhiladelphiaArchitectsandBuildings(PAB)referencesKendrick&Robertsasthebuildingcontractors,boththeOfficialHistoryandthePhiladelphiaTribunecalloutShoemakerasthebuilder.32Brooks,OfficialHistory,74;“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchObserves150thAnniversary,”PhiladelphiaTribune.Philadelphia:13January1959;andBrookss,OfficialHistory,21–22.33“Praying foraChurch’sSurvival atFirstAfricanBaptist,CongregantsReflectOn ItsPastandStrive toEnsure ItsFuture,”PhiladelphiaInquirer,23March2001.34Charles F. White,Who’sWho in Philadelphia: Thirty Biographical Sketches of Philadelphia Colored People, Selected fromAmong the Most Useful and Practical, IllustratingWhat is Being Done Among Them in the City, Together with Cuts andInformationofSomeofTheirLeadingInstitutionsandOrganizations(Philadelphia:TheA.M.E.BookConcern,1912),46.35FirstAfricanBaptistChurchHistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch(Philadelphia:1959).36HistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch.37HistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch.38HistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch.


28

DuetothenatureofFirstAfricanBaptist’surbansetting,thechurchbuildingitselfwaslandlockedbyrowhousesandothercomponentsoftheurbanfabric.Becauseofthis,thecongregationacquiredseveralbuildingsintheneighborhood,whichitusedin the manner of ancillary buildings. Around the time of its move to SouthPhiladelphia, thecongregationpurchasedaparsonageat628South19thStreet (at19th and Bainbridge Streets). This property was sold in 1916 when the churchpurchased a second parsonage at 1839 Christian Street. This property was latersold.39In addition, duringRev. Charles Sumner Lee’s tenure as pastor, the churchpurchased a rowhouse at 1612Christian Street as an investment.40This propertywaslatersoldaswell.Thechurchhasretainedownershipofoneofthepropertiesithas owned over the years, the annex at 1608 Christian Street.41The annex is themostvisuallydistinctiverowhouseontheblockasitistheonlybrownstonefacedbuildingontheblockandfeaturesanintricatepressedtincornice.Whiletheannexmay be eligible for listing in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, it is notsubjecttothisnomination.

39Brooks,OfficialHistory,93–94.40HistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch.41CityofPhiladelphiaOfficeofPropertyAssessment,PropertySearch,accessed26June2015,http://property.phila.gov/


29

AfricanAmericancongregantsleavingSundayservices,circa1920s.CourtesytheHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvania.


30

1895PhiladelphiaAtlas,G.W.Bromley.CourtesyGreaterPhiladelphiaGeoHistoryNetwork.42

1910PhiladelphiaAtlas,G.W.Bromley.CourtesyGreaterPhiladelphiaGeoHistoryNetwork.43

42Bromley,GeorgeW.andWalkerS.Bromley.AtlasoftheCityofPhiladelphia.Philadelphia:G.W.Bromley&Co.,1895.43Bromley,GeorgeW.andWalkerS.Bromley.AtlasoftheCityofPhiladelphia.Philadelphia:G.W.Bromley&Co.,1910.


31

FirstAfricanBaptistChurch,AnIntegralPartoftheCommunityInPhiladelphia,theroleoftheAfricanAmericanchurchhasevolvedovertime.Untilrecent history, African American churches served as places of sanctuary in aprimarily white, racially‐divided city. They existed to provide for their membersthose amenities that they had been denied asmembers ofwhite churches ratherthan to challenge the status quo. This changed during the second half of thetwentiethcenturywhenAfricanAmericanchurchesbecamenotonlyneighborhoodanchors that delivered quality of life sustaining programming, but also the focalpoint for the fight against racial injustice. These venues enabled the AfricanAmerican community at‐large to protest and advocate for civil rights in the post‐WWIIperiod.Thesechurches,includingbothcongregationsthathadbuilthousesofworshiporpurchasedexistingbuildings,gainedmomentumduringthisperioddueuntotothe influxof thousandsofAfricanAmericansdepartingtheruralSouth forthe industrialized, urban North.44In fact, the Baptist denomination experiencedmore growth than any other denomination during this period in Philadelphia.Between 1880 and 1916, the Baptist denomination saw at least sixteen churchesmoveintolargerbuildings,mostofthesebuiltbythechurchesthemselves,andnewcongregationsopentheirdoors.Manyofthesenewcongregationswereplantedbyolder, established churches such as First African Baptist Church.45First AfricanBaptistexemplifiesthisshiftinrole.Throughout the twentieth century, the thousand‐plus member church fosteredcommunity cohesion by fostering the establishment of numerous clubs thatbenefittedboththechurchandthepublicbysupplementingexistingprogramminginthecommunity.46Theseorganizationsincluded:theBenevolentBoard;theBoardofMothers; theBookBandSociety; theBusyBee Society; theCenturionClub; theCherry Blossoms; the Cherry Memorial Athletic Club; the Colonial Circle; theCosmopolitan Club; the Flower Club; the Group F Club; the Home and ForeignMissionary Circle; the King’s Daughters; the Ladies’ Auxiliary to the UshersAssociation; the Mayflower Club; the Mutual Aid Society; the Painting Club; thePresentChoir; theProReNataClub; theSeniorBaptistYoungPeople’sUnionandJunior Baptist Young People’s Union among others. The organizations listed hereappear in Charles H. Brooks’ Official History of First African Baptist Church,Philadelphia,whichwas first published in 1922 andwas revised in 1977.47Theseclubspersisted into the1980s.Theorganizationalpurposesranged fromensuringthat the churchwas dressedwith flowers each Sunday to “fostering the superiorclassofathleticsintheCityofPhiladelphiaandanestablishmentofmoreChrist‐likespritinathletics.”48

44National Register of Historic PlacesMultiple Property Documentation Form, African American Churches of Philadelphia,1787–1949.45WilliamT.Catto,ASemi–CentenaryDiscourseDeliveredintheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch,Philadelphia(Philadelphia:1857),105–111.46“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchTremendousInfluenceforGood,”PhiladelphiaTribune,5November1957.47Brooks,OfficialHistory,77–92.48Brooks,OfficialHistory,107–136.


32

BoardofTrustees,1922.CourtesytheNewYorkPublicLibrary.

Most notably, First African Baptist Church established the Reliable Mutual AidSociety,aninsurancecompanythatwouldserveAfricanAmericansinPhiladelphia.Accordingtoanarticle in thePhiladelphiaTribune, theMutualAidSociety“atonepointboastedhaving75%ofNegroprofessionalsamongitsactivemembers.”49ThechurchalsoincubatedtheCherryBuildingandLoanAssociation,amortgagelenderthat promoted homeownership by loaning to individuals and familieswhowouldhave found it difficult, if not impossible, to secure a mortgage from a traditionallender.FirstAfricanBaptistChurchwasthefirstchurchinPhiladelphiatodothis,initiating a trend among faith‐based institutions in Philadelphia.50Seven otherhistoricallyAfricanAmerican churches includingMotherBethelAfricanMethodistEpiscopal Church and the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas would followsuit.51Both theMutual Aid Society and the Cherry Building and Loan Associationwere instituted under the leadership of Rev. William A. Creditt, the pastor whooversawconstructionofthecurrentbuilding.52

49“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchObserves150thAnniversary,”PhiladelphiaTribune,13January1959.50“First African Baptist Church Observes 150th Anniversary,” PhiladelphiaTribune,13 January 1959.; and Sherry Taylor,“Building Faith and Building Brethren: Community Development in Philadelphia: 1880–1915,” Independent Study for theUniversity of Pennsylvania Department of City and Regional Planning, accessed June 26, 2015, http://www.dubois‐theward.org/wp‐content/uploads/2012/06/Building‐Faith‐and‐Building‐Brethen.pdf51Taylor,“BuildingFaith”52Brooks,OfficialHistory,101.


33

TheNewChoir,1922.CourtesytheNewYorkPublicLibrary.

Asreferencedabove,thecongregationdiditsshareofchurch‐planting.FromitgrewTasker Street Missionary Baptist Church (1874), Shiloh Baptist Church (1927),Miller Memorial Baptist Church (1895), Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Germantown(1871), andKaighnAvenueBaptistChurch inCamden (1856).This factwas citedupon the congregation’s 200th anniversary in 2009 in City of Philadelphia‐issuedResolutionNo.090491,whichwasabout “Recognizing,Honoring,Celebrating,andThanking the First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia for its invaluablecontributionstotheCityofPhiladelphia…”53

53CityCouncil,CityofPhiladelphia,Resolution090491,“Recognizing,Honoring,Celebrating,andThankingTheFirstAfricanBaptist Church of Philadelphia for its invaluable contributions to the City of Philadelphia on the occasion of its 200thAnniversary,”6June2009.


34

Philadelphians dressed for church stand on the stoop of their rowhouse. Circa 1920s. Courtesy the Historical Society ofPennsylvania.

TheresolutionalsocreditsthechurchforfoundingtheDowningtownIndustrialandAgriculturalSchool,anonprofitboardingschoolthatprovidedvocationaltrainingtodisadvantagedAfricanAmericanyouthsfrom1905until1993.54LocatedinChester

54CityofPhiladelphiaResolutionNo.090491.


35

County, the state‐funded school was intended as a northern counterpart to theTuskegee Institute. The founders of the school, First African Presbyterian ChurchpastorRev.WilliamA.CredittandtrusteeJohnS.Trower,remainedinvestedintheschooluntiltheirdeathsin1911and1921respectively,bothservingasprincipals.55Trower, a Northampton County, Virginia born business leader, was a wealthyrestaurateur and caterer. He catered for theWilliam Cramp & Sons ShipbuildingCompany, one the world’s most prolific shipbuilders, and occasionally for JohnWanamaker. While servicing contracts for Cramp and Wanamaker, Trower’sbusinesswasheadquarteredinGermantown,intheretrofittedGermantownSavingsFund Society building. In addition to cofounding theDowningtown Industrial andAgricultural School, Trower was instrumental in securing the site at 16th andChristianStreets.56Upon the church’s 150th anniversary in 1959, thePhiladelphiaTribune said, “Thechurch’s history defines a culture and combined wealth not equal to any otherchurch of color in America.”57Indeed, First African Baptist Church, a relativelyuncommon example of a building built by a long established African Americancongregation, exemplifies the cultural, political, economic, social or historicalheritageofbothPhiladelphia’sAfricanAmericancommunityandtheBaptistChurch.ConclusionThis nomination illustrates the historic significance of the First African BaptistChurchat1600–06ChristianStreetunderCriteriaforDesignationAandJasrelatedto thePhiladelphiaRegister ofHistoricPlaces. Constructed in1906as apurpose‐built, architect‐designed house of worship for the First African Baptist Church’scongregation, the building at 1600‐06 Christian Street is the last extant resourcethat represents the historic significance of this important African Americancongregation.Thebuildingservedthecongregationforover100years,makingititslongesthome.Itsarchitecturalstyle,materials,andthefactthatitwasdesignedbythe important architectural firm Watson & Huckel only further supports itshistorical significanceunderCriteriaAand J. Lastly, since1906, theFirstAfricanBaptistChurchhasstoodasamajorcommunitycenterintheneighborhood,whichwasfordecadeshometoalargeAfricanAmericanpopulation.

55Sarah Borden and others, Finding Aid for the Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School Collection, 1907–1985,Charles L. Blockson Afro‐American Collection, Temple University, accessed 26 June 2015,https://library.temple.edu/scrc/downingtown‐industrial‐and56 Sarah Borden and others, Finding Aid; “John S. Trower Best Known and ProbablyWealthiest Negro in the Country,”WashingtonBee,29April1911.57“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchObserves150thAnniversary,”PhiladelphiaTribune,13January1959.


36

8.BibliographyContributors.Upon hearing about plans that may include the demolition of this locallyunprotected historic property against the authority of the covenant held by thePennsylvaniaHistoricalandMuseumCommission, thisnominationwasassembledbythefollowingcontributors:OscarBeisert,ArchitecturalHistorianandHistoricPreservationistJ.M.Duffin,ArchivistandHistorianThe information provided to Oscar Beisert, Architectural Historian and HistoricPreservationist, by Emily T. Cooperman, Ph.D., as well as the Multiple PropertyDocumentation Form commissioned by the Preservation Alliance of GreaterPhiladelphia,hasbeen invaluable in thecompletionof thisnomination ina timelymanner. Additional contextual information and support was provided byanonymouscongregantsoftheFirstAfricanBaptistChurchandvariousmembersofthe Philadelphia’s preservation community. Furthermore, we would like torecognize inspiration from AaronWunch, Ph.D. andW.Wilson Goode, Sr., D.Min.Whilethisnominationcouldbegreatlyenlargedtoincludeadditional information,we feel that it is complete and correct in its assertions and its historical researchsufficient to allow for immediate protection of the endangered building by thePhiladelphiaHistoricalCommission.SourcesCited.Boyd’sPhiladelphiaBlueBook:TheFashionablePrivateAddressDirectoryandLadies’

Visiting&ShoppingGuideofPhiladelphiaandSurroundings. Philadelphia: C.E.Howe&Co.,1887.

Bromley, George W. and Walker S. Bromley. Atlas of the City of Philadelphia.Philadelphia:G.W.Bromley&Co.,1895.

Bromley, George W. and Walker S. Bromley. Atlas of the City of Philadelphia.Philadelphia:G.W.Bromley&Co.,1910.

Brooks, CharlesH.OfficialHistoryoftheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch. Philadelphia:1977.

Catto,William T. ASemi–CentenaryDiscourseDelivered intheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch,Philadelphia.Philadelphia:1857.

City Council, City of Philadelphia, Resolution 090491, “Recognizing, Honoring,Celebrating, andThankingTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurchofPhiladelphia forits invaluable contributions to the City of Philadelphia on the occasion of its200thAnniversary.”6June2009.

Deed: Jacob J. Hitschler and Charles A. Young, executors of the will of JamesMilnamow, to The First African Baptist Church of Philadelphia, 30 December1902,DeedBookW.S.V.,No.135,p.490,CityArchivesofPhiladelphia.

Du Bois,W.E. Burghardt.ThePhiladelphiaNegro:ASocialStudy. Series in PoliticalEconomyandPublicLaw,no.14.Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvania,1899.


37

FirstAfricanBaptistChurchHistoryCommittee,HistoryofTheFirstAfricanBaptistChurch.Philadelphia:1959.

“First African Baptist Church Observes 150th Anniversary.” PhiladelphiaTribune.Philadelphia:13January1959.

“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchObserves150thAnniversary.”PhiladelphiaTribune,13January1959.

“FirstAfricanBaptistChurchTremendousInfluenceforGood.”PhiladelphiaTribune,5November1957.

Griffith Cyril E. “Richard Allen: The First Prominent Black Religious Leader inPennsylvania” in John M. Coleman, Robert G. Christ, and John B. Frantz eds.,PennsylvaniaReligiousLeaders, PennsylvaniaHistoric Studies Series 16. CampHill, Pennsylvania: Planks’s Suburban Press for the Pennsylvania HistoricalSociety,1986.

“InG‐Ho,thependulumswingsagain.”PhiladelphiaInquirer,14June2011.Nash, Gary B. “First City: Philadelphia and the Forging of Historical Memory.”

Philadelphia:PennPress,2006.Nash, Gary B. ForgingFreedom: theFormationofPhiladelphia'sBlackCommunity,

1720‐1840.Cambridge,Mass.:HarvardUniversityPress,1991."National Register Information System."National Register of Historic

Places.National Park Service, accessed June 23, 2015,http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.

NationalRegisterofHistoricPlacesMultiplePropertyDocumentationForm,AfricanAmericanChurchesofPhiladelphia,1787–1949.

PhiladelphiaArchitectsandBuildings, s.v. “Watson & Huckel. fl. 1902–1917),” bySandra L. Tatman, accessed June 23, 2015,https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/111087.

PhiladelphiaRealEstateRecordandBuilder’sGuide,16October1904.Sarah Borden and others, Finding Aid for the Downingtown Industrial and

Agricultural School Collection, 1907–1985, Charles L. Blockson Afro‐AmericanCollection, Temple University, accessed 26 June 2015,https://library.temple.edu/scrc/downingtown‐industrial‐and

“PrayingforaChurch’sSurvivalatFirstAfricanBaptist,CongregantsReflectOnItsPastandStrivetoEnsureItsFuture.”PhiladelphiaInquirer,23March2001.

Smith, Edward D. Climbing Jacob’s Ladder: The Rise of Black Churches in EasternAmerican Cities, 1740–1877. Washington, D.C. and London: SmithsonianInstitutionPress,1988.

StatisticalInquiryIntotheConditionofthePeopleofColoroftheCityandDistrictsofPhiladelphia.Philadelphia:Kite&Walton,1849.

Taylor,Sherry. “BuildingFaithandBuildingBrethren:CommunityDevelopment inPhiladelphia:1880–1915.”IndependentStudyfortheUniversityofPennsylvaniaDepartment of City and Regional Planning, accessed June 26, 2015,http://www.dubois‐theward.org/wp‐content/uploads/2012/06/Building‐Faith‐and‐Building‐Brethen.pdf


38

TheClayWorker,28.October1897.“The Latest News in Real Estate. Contract Closed for New $40,000 Stone Baptist

Church16thandChristianSts,”PhiladelphiaInquirer.21September1905.“TheLatestNewsinRealEstate:FirstAfricanBaptistChurchonCherryStreetHas

ChangedHands—FrankMarrinDisposesofWestPhiladelphiaLots.”PhiladelphiaInquirer,21October1907.

White, Charles F. Who’s Who in Philadelphia: Thirty Biographical Sketches ofPhiladelphiaColoredPeople,Selected fromAmongtheMostUsefulandPractical,IllustratingWhat isBeingDoneAmongThem intheCity,TogetherwithCutsandInformation of Some of Their Leading Institutions and Organizations.Philadelphia:TheA.M.E.BookConcern,1912.

RepositoriesVisited.CityArchivesofPhiladelphiaFreeLibraryofPhiladelphiaHistoricalSocietyofPennsylvaniaLibraryCompanyofPhiladelphiaNewYorkPublicLibraryUnprotectedandThreatenedAfricanAmericanHistoricResourcesThree National Register of Historic Places‐listed resources in the vicinity of thechurchserveasremindersthatsouthwestCenterCitywasoncehometoavibrantAfrican American community that shaped the City of Philadelphia. They are theMarianAndersonHouse, theRoyalTheater,andTindleyTempleUnitedMethodistChurch.58Thesesites,aswellasmanyothersthatarenotlistedonthePhiladelphiaRegisterofHistoricPlacesortheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces,fostersenseofidentityandcontinuityamongthoseAfricanAmericanresidentswhoremain.Injustten years, between 2000 and 2010, the area’s African American populationdecreaseddramaticallywhileitswhitepopulationincreasedalmostproportionally.In2000theareawas72%AfricanAmerican,butby2010theareawas55%white.Thisshiftmeantthat4,000AfricanAmericanresidentswerereplacedbyclosetothesamenumberofwhiteresidentswhiletheareaalsosawanincreaseinLatinoandAsianresidents.59

58"NationalRegisterInformationSystem."NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.NationalParkService,accessedJune23,2015,http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.59“InG‐Ho,thependulumswingsagain,”PhiladelphiaInquirer,14June2011.

The First African Baptist Church 1600-06 Christian Street

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