Witherspoon Building

Witherspoon Building is a historic office building located in the Market East neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston (1866–1940) and built between 1895 and 1897. It was built for the Presbyterian Board of Publications and Sabbath School Work. It is an 11-story, steel frame "E"-shaped building, faced with brick and granite. It has terra cotta decorative elements. Its exterior features Corinthian order and Ionic order columns, statues, medallions, seals of various boards and agencies of the Presbyterian Church and of related Reformed churches. It is named for John Witherspoon (1723–1794), a president of Princeton University.[2]

Witherspoon Building
Witherspoon Building entrance, February 2010
Location1319-1323 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°56′58″N 75°9′48″W
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1895-1897
ArchitectHuston, Joseph; Et al.
Architectural styleSkyscraper
NRHP reference No.78002462[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 18, 1978

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]

Sculpture

Several statues and some of the medallions were designed by sculptor Alexander Stirling Calder (1870–1945), including statues of six historically prominent Presbyterians, Francis Makemie, John Witherspoon, John McMillan, Samuel Davies, James Caldwell and Marcus Whitman. These sculptures were removed in 1961 and later moved to the courtyard of the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia.[2][3]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Richard J. Webster (July 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Witherspoon Building" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  3. "Witherspoon Building Figures". SIRIS. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
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