The Presbyterian connection with Philly's first 'skyscraper'
PHS researcher uncovers history of Philadelphia's built environment and the legacy of the Witherspoon Building
Every October, historians across the country celebrate American Archives Month.
As part of this year’s annual observance, staff of the Presbyterian Historical Society joined the Free Library of Philadelphia on Oct. 15 in their celebration by tabling at the Community Archives Fair. The theme of the 2025 gathering was “Sky, Steel, & Screens” and focused on the preservation and history of the built environments of the city of brotherly love.
After unearthing and studying the records of the historical society, it was obvious to Communications Associate McKenna Britton what story to tell: that of Philadelphia’s first skyscraper and one of the earlier homes of the historical society, the Witherspoon Building.
Erected in the last few years of the 19th century and occupying an entire block of Juniper Street in Center City, Philadelphia, the Witherspoon Building is a historic office building 11 stories high that originally served as the home of various offices of the PC(USA). This included the Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work, the Department of Christian Education, the offices of the General Assembly, the Board of Pensions, and the Department of History — which is now the Presbyterian Historical Society.
The office tower owes its name to the first president of Princeton University and only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, John Witherspoon. The intention for the building, laid out by the Subcommittee on New Building that was appointed to the task, was that it be “an ornament to the city, a fit exponent of the strength and capacity of the Presbyterian Church, and a center of beneficent power and religious influence for the elevation and enlightenment of the whole country.” Construction began in late 1895, with the building being completed in 1897.
At the time of the Witherspoon Building’s completion, Philadelphia’s City Hall was still being constructed. Once it was finished, City Hall would take Witherspoon’s place as Philadelphia's highest structure. Work began in 1871 and continued until 1901, when it became the city’s first 20th-century "skyscraper.” Not only was it the city’s tallest building, but Philadelphia City Hall was also the tallest habitable building in the world until the 1908 completion of the Singer Building in New York City.
Primarily, the building was commissioned for the Presbyterian Board of Publications to have adequate space to operate — according to the directory, “Production” took place on the ninth floor and included the printing of The Westminster Press.
Other branches given space in the new building included the offices of the General Assembly, consisting of the Office of the Stated Clerk and the Department of History, located on the fifth floor; the Board of Pensions, 10th floor; the Board of Christian Education, which had employees spread out across multiple floors; and the Presbyterian Life magazine office, sixth floor.
Joseph M. Huston designed the Witherspoon Building in the American Renaissance style. After serving as the architect of the Witherspoon, Huston was awarded the commission for the new Pennsylvania State Capitol in 1901, his design being chosen over those of eight other participating architects.
Perhaps the most fascinating feature of this historic building is its original adornments and artworks. The façade of the building was decorated with various seals and emblems representative of the Reformed Protestant faith, as well as 16 larger-than-life statues that were installed in 1899.
Six of these statues were created by Alexander Stirling Calder (1870–1945). The 26-year-old artist sculpted the likenesses of six figures of American Presbyterianism, each of which was nine feet tall. The finished statues, which are Calder’s only known works cast in terra-cotta, were arranged in triangular fashion overtop the two main entrances to the building. Marcus Whitman, John Witherspoon and James Caldwell kept watch over the Walnut Street Portal. Samuel Davies, Francis Makemie and John McMillan stood guard over Juniper.
Above them, around the eighth floor, 10 more sculptures dotted the building’s façade. These artworks were created by Samuel Murray (1869–1941), the protégé and dear friend of prominent artist Thomas Eakins (1844–1916), who is rumored to have helped him with this project, Murray’s first major commission. Like Alexander Calder, Murray was young, just 27 years old.
These 10 sculptures were to represent figures from the Bible, a curation of prophets and prophetesses chosen by Princeton Theological Seminary Professor William Henry Green on behalf of the church. As many artists were wont to do, Murray utilized work from his past for this project, recycling plaster casts of his friends and family to use as the likenesses of the prophets. For example, Susan Macdowell Eakins was the model used for the sculpting of Deborah the prophetess, and Walt Whitman was the model used for Moses.
In 1961, extensive renovations to the building were made. During this time, as the church began planning to relocate its offices, all 16 statues were removed from the outside of the building in the interest of pedestrian safety. In 1965, the church published a 10-minute silent promotional film in which there are many slow shots displaying the outside and inside of the Witherspoon Building. This 16mm film shows us the main entrance, sans statues, in the first minute of the recording, with more footage of the building’s façade to follow, as well as clips of the interior and the offices in use.
The Calder statues were kept safe and, in 1967, relocated along with the historical society to the new building at 425 Lombard St. They stand in the courtyard today and are a stop along the Association for Public Art’s Museum Without Walls tour of Philadelphia. In 2016, the statues were removed temporarily for intensive conservation efforts and pieced back together in the courtyard of 425.
But what of Murray’s artworks? Unfortunately, the 10 sculptures crafted by Murray have become the Forgotten Prophets. When removed from the building in 1961, they were sent off to auction and were sold for $319 apiece. Eight were purchased by the Philadelphia Memorial Park Cemetery in Frazer, Pennsylvania. However, in a 2011 blog post by then-reference archivist David Koch, he shares that the cemetery “confirmed that the Prophet statues were once there but were sold in the ’70s. No one at the cemetery’s office could say to whom.”
The remaining two statues were purchased by a man living in Skagway, Alaska. Moses and Elijah were shipped across the country, and that was the last of it. Research led to another 2011 blog post, this one written by a citizen of Skagway, who shared that he’d seen “two Thomas Eakins statues sitting on the side of the road next to city hall.” The search for the Forgotten Prophets continues — a public records request to the Skagway municipality has been filed, and the blog author contacted. Will we find these lost pieces of history? Are the photographs of the prophets and prophetesses of the Witherspoon Building all that remains of them? Only time will tell.
The church officially sold the Witherspoon Building in 1973, the General Secretary of the Board of Christian Education making the call to sell as the General Assembly agencies were undergoing a reorganization. It is still an active building today.
The Witherspoon Building is listed on both the Philadelphia and National Registers of Historic Places. The Calder Statues stand safely within the courtyard at 425 Lombard St. The Forgotten Prophets live on through the telling of this colorful architectural history — and perhaps, one day, Moses or Elijah might be found.
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