Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church | |
National Historic Site
| |
_Church&sq=&lang=&file=File:2014_Gloria_Dei_(Old_Swedes%27)_Church_from_west.jpg) The church in March 2014 | |
_Church&sq=&lang=&file=File:Street_map_of_Philadelphia_and_surrounding_area.png)  Location in metropolitan Philadelphia _Church&sq=&lang=&file=File:USA_Pennsylvania_location_map.svg) Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church (Pennsylvania) _Church&sq=&lang=&file=File:Usa_edcp_location_map.svg) Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church (the United States) | |
| Location | 929 South Water Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°56′04″N 75°08′37″W / 39.9345°N 75.1435°W |
| Area | 3.7 acres (1.5 ha) |
| Built | 1678–1700 additions: 1703, c. 1733 |
| Architectural style | English vernacular |
| Website | Official site |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000682[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated PHMC | December 17, 1954[2] |
Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes', is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard (formerly Delaware Avenue) on the east, and Washington Avenue on the south. It was built between 1698 and 1700,[3][4] making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and second oldest Swedish church in the United States after Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes) in Wilmington, Delaware.
The carpenters for the building were John Smart and John Buett[4] and bricks were supplied by Richard Cantril.[5] The church displays the English vernacular style of church design, which combines elements of the Medieval and Gothic styles.[3] The church's vestry and entranceway were added in 1703 to buttress the walls, which had begun to buckle under the weight of the roof.[3] The tower was added c.1733, and interior alterations were made in 1845, designed by Samuel Sloan.[4]
The congregation was established on Tinicum Island in 1646.[6] It moved to its present site in 1677, five years before the founding of the city of Philadelphia, and the graveyard around the church to about the same time. Formerly a Swedish Lutheran congregation, the church has been Episcopalian since 1845.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN 0962290815, p.20
- ^ a b c Teitelman, Edward & Longstreth, Richard W. (1981), Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN 0262700212, p.178
- ^ Craig, Peter Stebbins; and Kim-Eric Williams, eds. Colonial Records of the Swedish Churches in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Swedish Colonial Society, 2006., v. 2, p154.
- ^ Craig, Peter (2006). Colonial Records of the Swedish Churches in Pennsylvania, Vol 1. Philadelphia: Swedish Colonial Society. p. 6.