The Meeting House Law Building & Gallery
Encyclopedia
The Meeting House Law Building & Gallery, formerly known as the Vincent Mennonite Church and the Rohd's Meeting House, is a former Mennonite
Meeting House
on a site in Spring City
, Chester County, Pennsylvania
occupied by landmark historical church buildings since at least 1750. The building now houses the law firm
of The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
, a museum
space, and gallery to be known as The ImaginAIRium.
nearly all in the neighborhood".
Due to local land squabbles
, no transfer of deed
was made by the Rhoads family to the Vincent congregation until 1798. The deed was transferred from the original landholder family to the Congregation on June 12, 1798, when John Roads sold to Henry Acker Sr. and Jacob Finkbiner of the Vincent Mennonite Church "a lot or piece of land situate in the said Township of Vincent, bounded by lands of John Rhoades, containing two acres more or less … for the sum of five shillings".
The original pre-Revolutionary building was razed in 1889, and was replaced the same year by the current building, a stone and stucco church "built a few rods" east of the original building. The Mennonite Meeting House served as a place of worship and sanctuary, and as a school
for the education of Christian youth
s for The Vincent Mennonite Congregation, who met in the original building for 139 years, from 1750 until 1889, and in the current building for 85 more years, from 1889 until 1974. That year, the congregation moved to a site on Seven Stars Road, East Vincent Township.
The present 1889 building, located at the intersection of Mennonite Church Road and Schuylkill Road (PA Route 724), now serves as the law offices of The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
, a regional law firm
. Owners Hy Mayerson and Colleen Koos had a “keen sense of history and [are] carefully preserving the historic nature of the old building while fully using it for [their] own purposes”. The building retains the original large internal open space, free from any visible support beams
, and original ceiling
. The pews were removed upon the firm’s occupation in 1974, and the original doors continue to be used. The owners “chose to preserve the integrity of that historic structure by adding several feet in exactly the same style, windows and all, as the original building”. The design and concept for the addition was developed by Carl Massaro, A.I.A.
, where some of the grave markers date as far back as 1759 and 1760. According to local historians, there is a large unmarked
mass burial ground
on the west side of the cemetery near Mennonite Church Road for Irish
laborers who died in an epidemic
while building the Schuylkill Canal
. It is possible that the land may have been used as a burying ground as far back as the 1730s, as records show that Johannes Roth (Rhoads), who settled the space in 1719, died in 1738, with his first wife having predeceased him. It is reasonable to assume they would have been buried on the land where they lived.
and the building’s Great Room
have been used as a performance space by several notable national and local musicians. Some of the earliest music videos had been produced here, and such work, both traditional and experimental, continues today. The basement video
studio also was used for fledgling independent television
production, and this work as well continues today.
Currently, several works by noted Chester County
artist Melvin Goldfield are on display in the gallery of the Great Room, including a life-size gorilla
and owl
, known as Rosie and Al, hand-carved
from an English Walnut tree, several portraits of famous Chester County residents that previously hung in the Main Hall of the Chester County Courthouse
in West Chester, Pennsylvania
, an original pastel
interpretation of Walt Whitman
’s poetry
collection Leaves of Grass
, and a collection of silk-screens of an aging Whitman.
Along the back wall of the building is an excerpt from the United States Declaration of Independence
in 12" lettering that reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men", referencing the building's current usage as a victims' rights-focused law firm.
Future plans include expanding the building's Great Room to a museum space and gallery to be known as The ImaginAIRium, intended to be "at the crossroads of creativity, theater, and imagination", according to Mayerson. The law firm intends to continue operating in the three-story addition after the museum portion opens to the public.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
Meeting House
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
on a site in Spring City
Spring City, Pennsylvania
Spring City is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2010 census. Spring City is a member of the Spring-Ford Area School District....
, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
occupied by landmark historical church buildings since at least 1750. The building now houses the law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C. is a regional U.S. law firm based in Spring City, East Vincent Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania...
, a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
space, and gallery to be known as The ImaginAIRium.
History
The site was first settled by Johannes Roth (Rhoads) in 1719 as a personal residence for his family. Remnants of the original homestead's origins from as early as the 1730s still exist, as the present building contains a stone inscribed with the date 1735. Based on a grave marker at the site, 1735 is regarded as the date of the founding of the Vincent Mennonite Congregation itself. The first use of the original building as a community meeting house dates to 1750, as recorded by Frederick Sheeder in his 1845 sketch of Vincent Township, stating: "the meeting house that has allways whent by the name of Rohd's this meeting house was built 1750 [for use by] the old GermansPennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
nearly all in the neighborhood".
Due to local land squabbles
Territorial dispute
A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states or over the possession or control of land by a new state and occupying power after it has conquered the land from a former state no longer currently recognized by the new state.-Context and...
, no transfer of deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
was made by the Rhoads family to the Vincent congregation until 1798. The deed was transferred from the original landholder family to the Congregation on June 12, 1798, when John Roads sold to Henry Acker Sr. and Jacob Finkbiner of the Vincent Mennonite Church "a lot or piece of land situate in the said Township of Vincent, bounded by lands of John Rhoades, containing two acres more or less … for the sum of five shillings".
The original pre-Revolutionary building was razed in 1889, and was replaced the same year by the current building, a stone and stucco church "built a few rods" east of the original building. The Mennonite Meeting House served as a place of worship and sanctuary, and as a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
for the education of Christian youth
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s for The Vincent Mennonite Congregation, who met in the original building for 139 years, from 1750 until 1889, and in the current building for 85 more years, from 1889 until 1974. That year, the congregation moved to a site on Seven Stars Road, East Vincent Township.
The present 1889 building, located at the intersection of Mennonite Church Road and Schuylkill Road (PA Route 724), now serves as the law offices of The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C.
The Mayerson Law Offices, P.C. is a regional U.S. law firm based in Spring City, East Vincent Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania...
, a regional law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
. Owners Hy Mayerson and Colleen Koos had a “keen sense of history and [are] carefully preserving the historic nature of the old building while fully using it for [their] own purposes”. The building retains the original large internal open space, free from any visible support beams
Girder
A girder is a support beam used in construction. Girders often have an I-beam cross section for strength, but may also have a box shape, Z shape or other forms. Girder is the term used to denote the main horizontal support of a structure which supports smaller beams...
, and original ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
. The pews were removed upon the firm’s occupation in 1974, and the original doors continue to be used. The owners “chose to preserve the integrity of that historic structure by adding several feet in exactly the same style, windows and all, as the original building”. The design and concept for the addition was developed by Carl Massaro, A.I.A.
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
Cemetery
The East Vincent Mennonite Church remains the owner of the adjoining Vincent Mennonite Cemetery, also known as Rhoad's (or Rohd's, Rhoads, or Rhoades) Burying Ground, an historical multi-denominational cemeteryCemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
, where some of the grave markers date as far back as 1759 and 1760. According to local historians, there is a large unmarked
Unmarked grave
The phrase unmarked grave has metaphorical meaning in the context of cultures that mark burial sites.As a figure of speech, a common meaning of the term "unmarked grave" is consignment to oblivion, i.e., an ignominious end. A grave monument is a sign of respect and fondness, erected with the...
mass burial ground
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
on the west side of the cemetery near Mennonite Church Road for Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
laborers who died in an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
while building the Schuylkill Canal
Schuylkill Canal
Schuylkill Canal is the common, but technically inaccurate, name for the Schuylkill Navigation, a 19th-century commercial waterway in and along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The "canal" was actually a system of interconnected man-made canals and slack-water pools in the...
. It is possible that the land may have been used as a burying ground as far back as the 1730s, as records show that Johannes Roth (Rhoads), who settled the space in 1719, died in 1738, with his first wife having predeceased him. It is reasonable to assume they would have been buried on the land where they lived.
The museum, gallery, and The ImaginAIRium
Since the 1970s, the basement vestryVestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and the building’s Great Room
Great room
thumb|A great roomThe term great room denotes a room space within an abode which combines the specific functions of several of the more traditional room spaces into a singular unified space...
have been used as a performance space by several notable national and local musicians. Some of the earliest music videos had been produced here, and such work, both traditional and experimental, continues today. The basement video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
studio also was used for fledgling independent television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production, and this work as well continues today.
Currently, several works by noted Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
artist Melvin Goldfield are on display in the gallery of the Great Room, including a life-size gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
and owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
, known as Rosie and Al, hand-carved
Wood carving
Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...
from an English Walnut tree, several portraits of famous Chester County residents that previously hung in the Main Hall of the Chester County Courthouse
Chester County Courthouse (Pennsylvania)
The Chester County Courthouse is a government building of Chester County located in the county seat of West Chester, Pennsylvania. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1972. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in July 1958.- History :The...
in West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
, an original pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
interpretation of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
’s poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
collection Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
, and a collection of silk-screens of an aging Whitman.
Along the back wall of the building is an excerpt from the United States Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
in 12" lettering that reads: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men", referencing the building's current usage as a victims' rights-focused law firm.
Future plans include expanding the building's Great Room to a museum space and gallery to be known as The ImaginAIRium, intended to be "at the crossroads of creativity, theater, and imagination", according to Mayerson. The law firm intends to continue operating in the three-story addition after the museum portion opens to the public.
External links
- Official site
- Video of Building Exterior
- Alternate Video of Building Exterior
- Vincent Mennonite Cemetery at RootsWeb.com
- Sal Joseph performing at the Meeting House Law Building (video)
- Current Vincent Mennonite Congregation site
- Spring City History page at SpringCityPA.net
- History of the Schuylkill Navigation (Canal), from Lafayette College
- Melvin Goldfield Collection Website
- Miami to New York: A train journey. 1500 miles. 30 hours. 11 US states