First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia is a Unitarian Universalist
congregation located at 2125 Chestnut Street
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. As a regional Community Center it sponsors cultural, educational, civic, wellness and spiritual activities.
On June 12, 1796, twenty of Philadelphia's intellectual leaders formed the First Unitarian Society of Philadelphia, becoming the first continuously functioning church in the country to name itself "Unitarian". The founders were directed and encouraged by the Unitarian minister Joseph Priestley
, and its first settled minister was the Rev. Dr. William Henry Furness
.
was persuaded to serve as the first minister at the age of 22, where he served for 50 years. Over time, Furness became one of the few abolitionist
ministers in the city. Prior to the Civil War, Reverend Furness was a leader of the abolitionist movement in the city. His speeches were so impassioned that both he and the congregation feared reprisals from Southern sympathizers, so several members of the church quietly armed themselves and watched over the pulpit on Sundays. His zeal in attacking the notorious Fugitive Slave Law was such that during one of President Buchanan's cabinet meetings, there was even discussion of indicting the minister for treason. Serving the church from 1825 until his death in 1898, William Furness was a scholar and activist who set the church on its continuing path of social concern known for his anti-slave sermons and Underground Railroad
activities starting in the 1830s.
, thought to be the first native American to be trained primarily as an architect. Its octagonal shape was unusual for Philadelphia, however it followed the pattern of Unitarian churches in England. These typically used an octagon design in a symbolic move away from the traditional cross-shaped floor plans of orthodox Christian churches. The construction cost was approximately $25,000 at the time and seated 300 people.
The Doric Building (dedicated November 5, 1828): Desiring a larger and more elegant building to reflect the growth of the congregation, church members voted to construct yet another facility. Using the same location (10th & Locust), the cornerstone of the "Doric Building" was laid on March 24, 1828. Designed by William Strickland
, this building was described in contemporary books as one of the most outstanding churches in the city. Dedicated on November 5, 1828, this remained the congregation's worship space until moving to the present site at 2125 Chestnut Street in 1885.
Frank Furness
, the architect of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
and son of the Church's first minister, designed the church building. Begun in 1883, dedicated in 1885, and completed in 1886, the sanctuary features a hammer-beam ceiling, painted rust red and stenciled with gold-leaf daffodils, which is complemented by blue walls. The church's stained glass windows are by Louis Tiffany & Co.
and John La Farge. Later additions include a concert-grade Casavant pipe organ with 3 manuals and 50 ranks. In addition to the sanctuary, the building also contains a basement level housing Griffin Hall, which includes a stage and commercial-size kitchen. The rear portion of the building contains the Parish Room for meetings, and a smaller chapel. The mezzanine and 3rd floors contain a variety of offices, meeting rooms, storage, and daycare facilities. Listed below is the Furness building as constructed in 1886 with carriage house that was removed, followed by a present day photo of the church.
, the first woman of African descent to have her writings published in the United States, was a member of First Church from 1870 until her death in 1911. She is best known for her fiction and poetry, but was also a political activist and lecturer who promoted, civil rights, temperance, and women's rights.
Laura Matilda Towne
, was one of the first Northern women to go south to work with freed slaves. Towne opened the Penn School, the first school for freedmen, while the Civil War was raging. Unlike most of those who went south at the time, Laura Towne made a life for herself on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, and ran the Penn School until her death in 1901.
Kevin Bacon
was raised at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and had his first acting debut in a holiday pageant.
was executed his body was greeted by William Henry Furness
in Philadelphia for a private vigil before heading to North Elba, New York where Brown is buried.
When Martin Luther King Jr. was a seminary student in nearby Chester, he attended a lecture about how Mohandas K. Gandhi integrated Henry David Thoreau
's theory of non-violent civil disobedience that inspired King's non-violent protests for civil rights. This lecture is reputed to have taken place at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.
In April 2006, the church officially became a Welcoming Congregation to the Bisexual, Transgender, Lesbian, and Gay community. In 2007, Nathan C. Walker became the first openly gay minister to be called to the serve the church.
In July 2006, executives from Monsanto
visited the church to discuss the adoption of a code of ethics for the field of biotechnology, a sort of Hippocratic oath, akin to a doctor's pledge to 'do no harm.'
meetings, forums by the Americans for Democratic Action
and Common Cause
, Black Women’s Art Festival, Islamic Relief
Day of Dignity, Philadelphia Fringe Festival
events, and city-wide vigils honoring victims of violence in Philadelphia.
First Unitarian is home to a concert-grade Casavant pipe organ. With its convenient Center City location, First Church is known as a prime entertainment venue for all ages. Music-for-Children classes, classical music concerts by Dolce Suono, and for young indie rock fans, alternative and punk rock concerts. Music and Arts at First Philadelphia are among the strongest and most diverse of the Center City Philadelphia Churches.
In November 2007, Rolling Stone
magazine featured the church as one of the top alternative rock venues thanks to the success of the events organized by R5 Productions
in the basement, chapel, and sanctuary. Since the mid-90s, the church's basement, Griffin Hall, known colloquially as "The Church" or simply "First Unitarian" by show goers, has been a popular venue for small-scale independent music concerts in the city. The concerts have featured mostly punk
and indie rock
artists in the past but have expanded to include other genres as well. An R5 Productions punk-rock concert draws hundreds of young listeners to the sanctuary with a drug- and alcohol-free mission.
First Unitarian also draws parents of young children and youth with religious education programs that promotes value-based learning about one's responsibility to one another and to the Earth. The Neighboring Faiths program teaches teens about the importance of other religious traditions and thereby promote open-mindedness and respect. Child dedications, conducted with a thornless rose, are a special rite of passage
for Unitarian Universalist families.
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
congregation located at 2125 Chestnut Street
Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)
Chestnut Street is a major historic street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally named Wynne Street because Thomas Wynne's home was there. William Penn renamed it Chestnut Street in 1684. It runs east–west from the Delaware River waterfront in downtown Philadelphia through Center City and West...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. As a regional Community Center it sponsors cultural, educational, civic, wellness and spiritual activities.
On June 12, 1796, twenty of Philadelphia's intellectual leaders formed the First Unitarian Society of Philadelphia, becoming the first continuously functioning church in the country to name itself "Unitarian". The founders were directed and encouraged by the Unitarian minister Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
, and its first settled minister was the Rev. Dr. William Henry Furness
William Henry Furness
Rev. William Henry Furness was an American clergyman, theologian, reformer and abolitionist. Following the American Civil War, he raised funds for Black schools in the South, including Morehouse College....
.
William Henry Furness
The small but growing congregation was lay-led until 1825, when Rev. Dr. William Henry FurnessWilliam Henry Furness
Rev. William Henry Furness was an American clergyman, theologian, reformer and abolitionist. Following the American Civil War, he raised funds for Black schools in the South, including Morehouse College....
was persuaded to serve as the first minister at the age of 22, where he served for 50 years. Over time, Furness became one of the few abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
ministers in the city. Prior to the Civil War, Reverend Furness was a leader of the abolitionist movement in the city. His speeches were so impassioned that both he and the congregation feared reprisals from Southern sympathizers, so several members of the church quietly armed themselves and watched over the pulpit on Sundays. His zeal in attacking the notorious Fugitive Slave Law was such that during one of President Buchanan's cabinet meetings, there was even discussion of indicting the minister for treason. Serving the church from 1825 until his death in 1898, William Furness was a scholar and activist who set the church on its continuing path of social concern known for his anti-slave sermons and Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
activities starting in the 1830s.
Architecture
The Octagon Building (begun March 1812, dedicated February 14, 1813): The first church building, located at the northeast corner of 10th & Locust, was designed by Robert MillsRobert Mills (architect)
Robert Mills , most famously known for designing the Washington Monument, is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor...
, thought to be the first native American to be trained primarily as an architect. Its octagonal shape was unusual for Philadelphia, however it followed the pattern of Unitarian churches in England. These typically used an octagon design in a symbolic move away from the traditional cross-shaped floor plans of orthodox Christian churches. The construction cost was approximately $25,000 at the time and seated 300 people.
The Doric Building (dedicated November 5, 1828): Desiring a larger and more elegant building to reflect the growth of the congregation, church members voted to construct yet another facility. Using the same location (10th & Locust), the cornerstone of the "Doric Building" was laid on March 24, 1828. Designed by William Strickland
William Strickland
William Strickland may refer to:* William Strickland , English clergyman* William Strickland , credited with introducing the turkey to England, later a Member of Parliament...
, this building was described in contemporary books as one of the most outstanding churches in the city. Dedicated on November 5, 1828, this remained the congregation's worship space until moving to the present site at 2125 Chestnut Street in 1885.
Frank Furness
Frank Furness
Frank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
, the architect of The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
and son of the Church's first minister, designed the church building. Begun in 1883, dedicated in 1885, and completed in 1886, the sanctuary features a hammer-beam ceiling, painted rust red and stenciled with gold-leaf daffodils, which is complemented by blue walls. The church's stained glass windows are by Louis Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
and John La Farge. Later additions include a concert-grade Casavant pipe organ with 3 manuals and 50 ranks. In addition to the sanctuary, the building also contains a basement level housing Griffin Hall, which includes a stage and commercial-size kitchen. The rear portion of the building contains the Parish Room for meetings, and a smaller chapel. The mezzanine and 3rd floors contain a variety of offices, meeting rooms, storage, and daycare facilities. Listed below is the Furness building as constructed in 1886 with carriage house that was removed, followed by a present day photo of the church.
Notable members
Frances Ellen Watkins HarperFrances Harper
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an African American abolitionist and poet. Born free in Baltimore, Maryland, she had a long and prolific career, publishing her first book of poetry at twenty and her first novel, the widely praised Iola Leroy, at age 67.-Life and works:Frances Ellen Watkins was...
, the first woman of African descent to have her writings published in the United States, was a member of First Church from 1870 until her death in 1911. She is best known for her fiction and poetry, but was also a political activist and lecturer who promoted, civil rights, temperance, and women's rights.
Laura Matilda Towne
Laura Matilda Towne
Laura Matilda Towne Laura Matilda Towne Laura Matilda Towne (May 3, 1825 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – February 22, 1901, in St. Helena Island, South Carolina was an abolitionist and educator. She was best known for forming one of the earliest freedmen's schools (schools for newly-freed slaves)....
, was one of the first Northern women to go south to work with freed slaves. Towne opened the Penn School, the first school for freedmen, while the Civil War was raging. Unlike most of those who went south at the time, Laura Towne made a life for herself on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, and ran the Penn School until her death in 1901.
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
was raised at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and had his first acting debut in a holiday pageant.
Notable events
The day after John BrownJohn Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
was executed his body was greeted by William Henry Furness
William Henry Furness
Rev. William Henry Furness was an American clergyman, theologian, reformer and abolitionist. Following the American Civil War, he raised funds for Black schools in the South, including Morehouse College....
in Philadelphia for a private vigil before heading to North Elba, New York where Brown is buried.
When Martin Luther King Jr. was a seminary student in nearby Chester, he attended a lecture about how Mohandas K. Gandhi integrated Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
's theory of non-violent civil disobedience that inspired King's non-violent protests for civil rights. This lecture is reputed to have taken place at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.
In April 2006, the church officially became a Welcoming Congregation to the Bisexual, Transgender, Lesbian, and Gay community. In 2007, Nathan C. Walker became the first openly gay minister to be called to the serve the church.
In July 2006, executives from Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...
visited the church to discuss the adoption of a code of ethics for the field of biotechnology, a sort of Hippocratic oath, akin to a doctor's pledge to 'do no harm.'
Settled ministers
| Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works... |
1796–1804 |
| William Christie | 1807 |
| William Henry Furness William Henry Furness Rev. William Henry Furness was an American clergyman, theologian, reformer and abolitionist. Following the American Civil War, he raised funds for Black schools in the South, including Morehouse College.... |
1825–1875 |
| Joseph May | 1876–1901 |
| James Ecob | 1901–1907 |
| Charles St. John | 1908–1916 |
| Frederick Robertson Griffin | 1917–1947 |
| Harry Barron Scholefield | 1947–1957 |
| Anders Lunde | 1958–1962 |
| Angus Cameron | 1963–1967 |
| Victor H. Carpenter | 1968–1976 |
| Rev. Beth Ide, Assistant Minister | 1975 |
| Brian Sandor Kopke | 1977–1984 |
| Ken Collier | 1986–1991 |
| Benjamin P. Maucere | 1992–2005 |
| Holly Horn | 1995–2005 |
| Nathan C. Walker | 2007–present |
Culture and civic life
First Unitarian is a regional community center that provides meeting space on a non-discriminatory basis for many different groups and activities: yoga and aerobics classes, meditation, Narcotics AnonymousNarcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem," and it is the second-largest 12-step organization...
meetings, forums by the Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
and Common Cause
Common Cause
Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson, as a "citizens' lobby" with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and...
, Black Women’s Art Festival, Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief Worldwide is a Muslim international relief and development organization consisting of a family of 15 aid agencies that aims to alleviate the suffering of the world’s poorest people...
Day of Dignity, Philadelphia Fringe Festival
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
events, and city-wide vigils honoring victims of violence in Philadelphia.
First Unitarian is home to a concert-grade Casavant pipe organ. With its convenient Center City location, First Church is known as a prime entertainment venue for all ages. Music-for-Children classes, classical music concerts by Dolce Suono, and for young indie rock fans, alternative and punk rock concerts. Music and Arts at First Philadelphia are among the strongest and most diverse of the Center City Philadelphia Churches.
In November 2007, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine featured the church as one of the top alternative rock venues thanks to the success of the events organized by R5 Productions
R5 Productions
R5 Productions is a Philadelphia-based do-it-yourself concert promotion outfit started in 1996 by French emigrant cum Ardmore, Pennsylvania native Sean Agnew. It is well known in Philadelphia for hosting national punk and indie rock acts. R5 has a reputation for high-quality shows in intimate venues...
in the basement, chapel, and sanctuary. Since the mid-90s, the church's basement, Griffin Hall, known colloquially as "The Church" or simply "First Unitarian" by show goers, has been a popular venue for small-scale independent music concerts in the city. The concerts have featured mostly punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
artists in the past but have expanded to include other genres as well. An R5 Productions punk-rock concert draws hundreds of young listeners to the sanctuary with a drug- and alcohol-free mission.
Children and daycare centers
First Church is the long-time home of two day care centers: the Beacon Center and Little Miracles. Both centers boast long-tenured staff, one of the best signs of a good child care center. Members of First Church founded the Beacon Center in the early 1980s to exemplify the values of the church.First Unitarian also draws parents of young children and youth with religious education programs that promotes value-based learning about one's responsibility to one another and to the Earth. The Neighboring Faiths program teaches teens about the importance of other religious traditions and thereby promote open-mindedness and respect. Child dedications, conducted with a thornless rose, are a special rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
for Unitarian Universalist families.