Church of St. James the Less
Encyclopedia
The Church of St. James the Less is a historic Episcopal
church building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it is designated a National Historic Landmark.
in 1985. According to the National Park Service
's official Statement of Significance (as of designation, February 4, 1985): "This is the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design. Its influence on the major architects of the Gothic Revival in the United States was profound."
The building's remarkable fidelity to Gothic design was accidental. When the congregation applied to its parent group in Cambridge, England, for a set of approved plans for its church, it was inadvertently sent measured drawings, prepared by G. G. Place, of St. Michael's Church
in Longstanton
, Cambridgeshire
, built c. 1230, which were followed in every detail under the supervision of architect John E. Carver.
Set on the edge of a hill, north of Mount Vernon Cemetery
and east of Laurel Hill Cemetery
, the setting for the church is no longer rural. West Hunting Park Avenue, a major artery, is just beyond the churchyard's south wall, and industrial buildings lie to the west. A parish hall was built on the opposite side of West Clearfield Street.
The Wanamaker Memorial Bell Tower and mausoleum (1908), designed by John T. Windrim
, houses a set of J.C. Deagan tower chimes and a chime of bells by the McShane foundry.
in 1999 over theological differences, and the diocese sued the parish in 2001 to seize the property. The Pennsylvania courts eventually decided that while the parish owns the property, there exists an “implied trust” in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and the congregation left.
The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel http://www.anglicanphiladelphia.org is a traditional Anglican parish continuing the parochial and congregational life of the Church of Saint James the Less. Sunday Mass is at 9:30 at Ivy Hall, 6331 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia 19151 (in Overbrook Farms, between City Avenue and 63rd Street).
In the summer of 2008, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania voted to allow St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, to adopt the Church of St. James the Less as a mission of St. Mark's. With the assumption of St. James as a mission of St. Mark's a weekly celebration of Mass
was resumed on Sundays at 5:00pm.
In June 2009, the first City Camp took place, where children aged from 6-12 participated in a Vacation Bible School. A help from St. Francis Episcopal Church (Potomac, Maryland) and St. Mark's Episcopal Church made this event possible. It lasted from June 22, 2009 to June 27, 2009, although members from both churches helped before and after to make it possible.
The surrounding churchyard is the final resting place of several notable people.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
church building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it is designated a National Historic Landmark.
Historic church
The building was added to the list of National Register of Historical Places in 1974 and was designated a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1985. According to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's official Statement of Significance (as of designation, February 4, 1985): "This is the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design. Its influence on the major architects of the Gothic Revival in the United States was profound."
St Michael's Church, Longstanton
St Michael's Church, Longstanton, is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands at the south end of...
in Longstanton
Longstanton
Longstanton is a village in South Cambridgeshire, England, 6 miles northwest of Cambridge city centre.-History:For most of its history Longstanton was split into two parishes: the larger Long Stanton All Saints to the north and the smaller Long Stanton St. Michael to the south...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, built c. 1230, which were followed in every detail under the supervision of architect John E. Carver.
Set on the edge of a hill, north of Mount Vernon Cemetery
Mount Vernon Cemetery
-External links:*...
and east of Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
, the setting for the church is no longer rural. West Hunting Park Avenue, a major artery, is just beyond the churchyard's south wall, and industrial buildings lie to the west. A parish hall was built on the opposite side of West Clearfield Street.
The Wanamaker Memorial Bell Tower and mausoleum (1908), designed by John T. Windrim
John T. Windrim
John Torrey Windrim was an American architect.He trained in the office of his father, architect James H. Windrim. He was elected to the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1901, and became a Fellow of the Institute in 1926...
, houses a set of J.C. Deagan tower chimes and a chime of bells by the McShane foundry.
Parish
The church and associated school have been closed since 2006, when, after a lengthy court battle, the local Episcopal diocese assumed control of the property. St James the Less had disaffiliated from the Episcopal Diocese of PennsylvaniaEpiscopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania....
in 1999 over theological differences, and the diocese sued the parish in 2001 to seize the property. The Pennsylvania courts eventually decided that while the parish owns the property, there exists an “implied trust” in favor of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and the congregation left.
The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel http://www.anglicanphiladelphia.org is a traditional Anglican parish continuing the parochial and congregational life of the Church of Saint James the Less. Sunday Mass is at 9:30 at Ivy Hall, 6331 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia 19151 (in Overbrook Farms, between City Avenue and 63rd Street).
In the summer of 2008, the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania voted to allow St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, to adopt the Church of St. James the Less as a mission of St. Mark's. With the assumption of St. James as a mission of St. Mark's a weekly celebration of Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was resumed on Sundays at 5:00pm.
In June 2009, the first City Camp took place, where children aged from 6-12 participated in a Vacation Bible School. A help from St. Francis Episcopal Church (Potomac, Maryland) and St. Mark's Episcopal Church made this event possible. It lasted from June 22, 2009 to June 27, 2009, although members from both churches helped before and after to make it possible.
Notable interments
- Chapman BiddleChapman BiddleChapman Biddle was a member of the prominent Biddle family of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who rose to fame as an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He commanded a brigade of infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life:Chapman Biddle was born in Pennsylvania on January 22,...
(January 22, 1822 – December 9, 1880) Civil War Union Army Officer. - Horace BinneyHorace BinneyHorace Binney was an American lawyer who served as an Anti-Jacksonian in the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
(January 4, 1780 – August 12, 1875) US Congressman. - Mark Wilkes ColletMark Wilkes ColletMark Wilkes Collet was a Union Army officer who served during the American Civil War. He served as Colonel and commander of the 1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry regiment, a unit he led from the Second Battle of Bull Run until the Chancellorsville Campaign...
(June 2, 1826 – May 3, 1863) Civil War Union Army Officer and physician. - James Barnet FryJames Barnet FryJames Barnet Fry was an American soldier and prolific author of historical books.-Biography:He was born in Carrollton, Illinois. He graduated from West Point in 1847 and served for a time as assistant instructor of artillery there. He was stationed successively in Oregon, Louisiana, and Texas, and...
(February 22, 1827 – July 11, 1894) Civil War Union Brigadier General. - Henry K. Hoff (d. December 25, 1878) United States Navy Rear-Admiral.
- Robert Morris, Jr. (d. August 13, 1863) Civil War Union Army Officer.
- The Rt. Rev. Henry Ustick OnderdonkHenry Ustick OnderdonkHenry Ustick Onderdonk was the second Episcopal bishop of Pennsylvania.-Early life:Onderdonk was born in New York City. He studied at Columbia University, receiving his degree in 1805, and then traveled to Britain for further education, receiving his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh...
, second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of PennsylvaniaEpiscopal Diocese of PennsylvaniaThe Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania.... - John Grubb ParkeJohn ParkeJohn Grubb Parke was a United States Army engineer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
(September 22, 1827 – December 16, 1900) Civil War Union Major General. - William Stevens PerryWilliam Stevens PerryWilliam Stevens Perry was a 19th century bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and an educator. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Iowa from 1876 - 1898....
(January 22, 1832 – May 13, 1898) Historian, Author, President of Hobart CollegeHobart and William Smith CollegesHobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
and second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of IowaEpiscopal Diocese of IowaThe Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which covers all of Iowa. It is in Province VI. Its offices are in Des Moines, and it has two cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of St...
. - Anthony Taylor (Medal of Honor recipient)Anthony Taylor (Medal of Honor recipient)Anthony Taylor was a Medal of Honor Recipient in the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(October 11, 1837 – May 21, 1894) Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. - Martin Russell ThayerMartin Russell ThayerMartin Russell Thayer was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.-Early life:...
(1819–1906) US Congressman for Pennsylvania, 1863 to 1867. State Court Judge in 1867. - Benjamin Chew TilghmanBenjamin Chew TilghmanBenjamin Chew Tilghman was an American soldier and inventor. He is best known as the inventor of the process of sandblasting.-Early life:...
(October 26, 1821 – July 3, 1901) Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General, inventor of sandblasting. - Stephen Decatur TrenchardStephen Decatur TrenchardStephen Decatur Trenchard was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was present at the Battle of Taku Forts in 1859, and commanded the supply ship and gunboat throughout the American Civil War, seeing action at both Battles of Fort Fisher...
(July 11, 1818 – November 15, 1883) United States Navy Rear-Admiral. - John WanamakerJohn WanamakerJohn Wanamaker was a United States merchant, religious leader, civic and political figure, considered by some to be the father of modern advertising and a "pioneer in marketing." Wanamaker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:He was born on July 11, 1838.He opened his first store in...
(July 11, 1838 – December 12, 1922) Businessman, founder of chain of Wanamaker'sWanamaker'sWanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
Department Stores of Philadelphia and New York, founder of Bethany Presbyterian Church and a prominent Christian layman, and Postmaster General of the United States. - (Lewis) Rodman WanamakerRodman WanamakerLewis Rodman Wanamaker was a Republican and was a Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania in 1916. Wanamaker created aviation history by financing a two plane experimental seaplane class in response to a prize contest announcement by London's The Daily Mail newspaper in 1913 – the flying boat...
(13 February 1863 – 9 March 1928), son of John Wanamaker, philanthropist, artistic benefactor and patron of the Wanamaker OrganWanamaker OrganThe Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest operational pipe organ in the world, located within a spacious 7-story court at Macy's Center City . The largest organ by some measures is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ...
. - William Halsey WoodWilliam Halsey WoodWilliam Halsey Wood was an American architect, born at the Village of Dansville, New York on April 24, 1855. He died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 13, 1897.-Early life:...
(April 24, 1855 – March 13, 1897) Architect, one of four finalists in the competition for the design of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York.
Further reading
- King, Moses. Philadelphia and Notable Philadelphians. New York: Blanchard Press, Isaac H. Blanchard Co., 1901.
- Stanton, Phoebe B., The Gothic Revival and American Church Architecture: An Episode in Taste, 1840-1856. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1968. ISBN 0801856221
- Webster, Richard J., Philadelphia Preserved. Philadelphia: Temple Univ. Press, 1976. ISBN 0-87722-089-1
External links
- Website of former congregation now The Church of Saint Michael the Archangel ACA
- Church of St. James the Less, 3200 West Clearfield Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA: 93 b&w and 17 color photos, 21 drawings, 61 data pages and supplemental material, at Historic American Building Survey
- Listing and images at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- "England's Green and Pleasant Land on the Banks of the Schuylkill: The Story of St. James-the-Less, Part Two", By Steven Ujifusa, at PhillyHistory.org, Fri, 21 Dec. 2007
- A blog on St. James the Less
- A discussion of the court battle and its ramifications
- Saint James the Less Episcopal Churchyard at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...