Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House, 100 East Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA
Summary
Significance: The design of Chestnut Hill Meeting House was innovative in ways that reflected changes in Quaker faith and practice indicative of the modern era in Friends' history. The meeting house was built in 1931 in a form that resembles the "rancher-style" of residential architecture. As such, the design of Chestnut Hill suggests a connection between meeting houses and contemporary domestic forms. Considering that Friends' meetings generally were initiated within the homes of its members, this seems appropriate. More importantly, Chestnut Hill was likely the first meeting house in the Delaware Valley to be built without a facing bench. The focus traditionally provided by the "facing benches" from which the ministers, elders, and overseers presided over the meeting for worship is substituted by a fireplace hearth. The removal of the facing benches mirrors the diminishing role of these individuals and of the hierarchical relationship among members. Likewise, the removal of the retractable wood partition traditionally used to separate men and women during their business meetings is reflective of the modern practice of holding a joint business meeting. Chestnut Hill's plan is also expressive of the trend towards providing for a multi-purpose facility. The meeting house plan combines many meeting functions under one roof through the inclusion of space for social activities, child care, kitchen, and restroom facilities. In addition, the Chestnut Hill Meeting House is historically significant as the first meeting to be formed as a "United Meeting" following the schism that divided Friends into Orthodox and Hicksite factions in 1827. Official recognition by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting for their united meeting status came in 1933.
Survey number: HABS PA-6688
Building/structure dates: 1931 Initial Construction
Tags
Date
Contributors
Location
Source
Copyright info