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Christ Church

Architect
Robert Smith
Year
1744
Style
Georgian
City
Philadelphia, PA
Collection
colonial & revolutionary
Christ Church
Photo: Al R, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Christ Church was founded in 1695 as a Church of England parish and rebuilt between 1727 and 1744 by the architect-builder Robert Smith into what became, with the addition of its 1754 steeple, the tallest building in the future United States at 196 feet. Its rector William White went on to become the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1785, and the building is regarded as one of the finest surviving 18th-century Georgian churches in the country.

the building

The 1754 steeple. Added a decade after the main church was finished, the steeple brought Christ Church to 196 feet, making it the tallest building in the colonies that would become the United States — a height record the congregation held for years.

Modeled on Wren's London churches. Robert Smith based the design on Christopher Wren's London parish churches, giving Philadelphia a symmetrical, high-style Georgian building at a time when most American congregations built far plainer meetinghouses.

the style

Christ Church is a textbook example of American Georgian church architecture, built in direct imitation of Christopher Wren's London churches. Its symmetry and classical detailing were sumptuous by colonial standards; the congregation deliberately set out to build the most lavish church in the Thirteen Colonies.

More on Georgian

the architect

Robert Smith was a master builder and one of the leading architect-builders of colonial Philadelphia. Christ Church, executed in a Georgian style modeled on Christopher Wren's London parish churches, is among his most celebrated designs.

significance

Christ Church is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rector William White's election as the first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1785 ties the building directly to the founding of the American Episcopal Church.

nearby

All 127 buildings in Philadelphia