Depicts men walking and bicycling along North Broad Street, near Arch Street. The four "churches" near the intersection of Broad and Arch Streets are visible, including the Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion and the Masonic Temple. Includes the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company building in the background., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Title and date given in manuscript on mount., Reproduced in The Print and Photograph Department of the Library Company of Philadelphia's Center City Philadelphia in the 19th century (Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), p. 44., Arcadia caption text: This 1898 view, looking north from Filbert Street, is one of the last photographs of the three churches at Arch and Broad streets. Within the year the First Baptist Church (center left), built in 1856 after the designs of Stephen Button, would be demolished and within the decade, the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion (far left), built 1870-1875 would meet the same fate. The congregations would move further west in the city, pushed out by the commercial growth of the area as represented by the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company building (upper center). Soon to be lost from the city landscape were the Lutheran church designed by Frazer, Furness & Hewitt and the Baptist church, one of the earliest non-industrial landmarks to grace North Broad Street. The prominent Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church, built 1869-1870 after the designs of Addison Hutton, is visible to the right. It still stands in the 21st century despite several attempts to purchase its highly valued property.
Creator
Bullock, John G., 1854-1939, photographer
Date
Negative May 1898
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department lantern - Bullock [P.9731.149]
