The Building

The Philadelphia architect Henry Augustus Sims designed the church building, which was erected for the congregation of the Second Presbyterian Church, in 1869-72. Sims was a leading exponent of the Gothic revival in the 19th century.

The style is a mixture of French and English Gothic. The foundation is Richmond granite and the upper stories are Trenton stone. The tower was added in 1900 by the prominent Philadelphia firm of Furness and Evans.

The interior is buff-colored brick and sandstone and the pews are black walnut, exemplifying Sims' architectural philosophy of honesty in building materials, eschewing plaster throughout.

The capitals of the columns in the nave were the work of Alexander Milne Calder and represent the leading agricultural products in the 1870s: corn, wheat, grapes, cotton, tobacco, and sugar. The Gothic Parish House, added in 1885, was designed by Theophilus Parsons Chandler. The chancel was remodeled and divided in 1954, and the Walnut Street window in the sanctuary was uncovered in 2000.