Graduate Health System Corporate Headquarters: Church of the New Jerusalem - Philadelphia, PA
PennsylvaniaPROJECT DETAILS
Project Name: Graduate Health System Corporate Headquarters
Historic Name: Church of the New Jerusalem
Denomination: Swedenborgian
Architect: Theophilus Parsons Chandler
Construction Date: 1881
Date of Closure: Mid-1980s
Date of Fire: 1985
Date of Reuse: 1989
Address: 22nd and Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103
Neighborhood: Center City Philadelphia
Reuse: Commercial office space
Building Size: 27,462 sq. ft.
Project Cost: $3,495,0000 / $127 per sq. ft.
Resolutions: The congregation worked closely with the buyer of the property, the Preservation Fund, and the Philadelphia Historical Commission to devise a design that would be sensitive to the historic fabric.
Project Scope: Added two floors for office space and enclosed the interior space facing the chancel with a floorto- ceiling glass wall. Updated HVAC, electrical systems, and emergency equipment installed.
Response: In an area of many churches, the successful conversion to office space was a welcome sight for many of the neighbors who had feared an abandoned church building.
The Swedenborgian congregation in the Church of the New Jerusalem knew that the sale of their church building and adjacent parish hall was imminent. In the early 1980s, they enlisted the assistance of the Preservation Fund of Pennsylvania to find a developer who would sensitively adapt their building to a new use. In order to strategically achieve a successful reuse, cooperation between the old and new owners was required.
Three proposals were advanced that addressed the covenants outlined in their deed, and commercial use was selected as the most advantageous. According to Mark Thompson, the lead architect, “the first renovation is really the best chance to save the character of the space. And while ballet and theater groups come and go, we knew that a commercial space would last.”
The cruciform--shaped church situated on the corner lot had been designed by the founder and first dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Architecture. Modeled after the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, the church featured ornately carved woodwork, carved stone tracery, granite floors and arched stained glass windows. The vaulted barrel ceilings were an immense sixty--five feet high, supported by carved granite buttresses. The adjacent parish hall, designed in a similar English Gothic Revival style, provided additional space for the commercial tenant to grow and also provided a view shed through a large garden with its quaint vaulted roof and chords.
The building was in adequate condition and, fortunately, completely structurally stable. The wood ceiling had accumulated candle soot, and areas such as doors and walls had experienced obvious wear and tear from the building’s use by the congregation for over a hundred years. The interior plaster on the walls was coming off the lath and the stone on the exterior was spalling. Structurally, the building was sound since some walls had footings that ran twenty feet below ground, although during the installation of additional floor space, some shoring and reinforcing of the walls was temporarily required.
The church space was converted to executive offices with room for expansion. Since office use would require additional floor space, the ground floorboards that had begun to slant were removed and the sub floor was excavated four to five feet. Two balconies were added in four of the six bays, leaving the altar area unchanged as a space for receptions. Additionally, a large spiral staircase and an elevator were placed to give access to all levels.
A glass wall was inserted in the interior to define the space and muffle noise. The transparent wall encases the chancel framed by granite arches, an altar chiseled from stone and stained glass windows.
The building has successfully accommodated different tenants over the years. The key to achieving continual occupancy for the owner has been to tastefully decorate the interior. Square chairs, sofas, and low--walled cubicles augment the configuration of the cruciform plan and echo the box pews of the original church space. Allowing light to funnel through the stained glass windows, supplemented with soft, indirect overhead lighting, gives a uniquely ephemeral quality to the non--traditional office space. The picturesque atrium, oriental carpets, and restored wood detailing provide an impressive and memorable sight to office workers and visitors.
For more information contact:
Mark B. Thompson, Principal
Mark B. Thompson Associates,Architects
502 South 24th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 985-1000
