St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia) facts for kids
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Saint Mark's Episcopal Church
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Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in April 2010
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1625 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Built | 1848 |
| Architect | John Notman Cope and Stewardson |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003815 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1982 |
| Designated NHL | February 4, 1985 |
Saint Mark's Episcopal Church is a beautiful and historic church located at 1625 Locust Street in the Rittenhouse Square area of Center City Philadelphia. It is part of the larger Episcopal Church in the United States, specifically within the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
Contents
The Story of Saint Mark's Church
How It Began: The 1800s
Saint Mark's Church was started in the mid-1800s. It was part of a movement called the Oxford Movement, which aimed to bring back older traditions to the Anglican Church.
The church building itself was designed in the Gothic Revival style. This style looks like the grand churches built in Europe many centuries ago. The main part of the church was built between 1847 and 1849 by John Notman. He based his work on an idea from an English architect named Richard Cromwell Carpenter. The tall tower of the church was also designed by Notman and finished in 1865 by George Hewitt.
Growing and Changing: The 1900s
In 1923, a new main entrance was added to the church. It features colorful figures that show "Christ in Majesty." This beautiful entrance was designed by Milton Bennett Medary.
The Lady Chapel, a special smaller chapel within the church, was designed by Cope and Stewardson. It was built in 1900. Its ceiling is special because it was the first stone vault ceiling known in the United States. A stone vault is a curved ceiling made of stone, like you might see in an old castle or cathedral. The chapel and its decorations were given to the church by Rodman Wanamaker to remember his wife. Because of its amazing design and importance, Saint Mark's Church has been named a National Historic Landmark.
The church also has many beautiful decorations made by Charles Eamer Kempe, a famous artist. The Lady Chapel was once decorated entirely with Kempe's designs. Later, when the chapel was redecorated, some of his colorful figures were moved to other parts of the church. However, the original stained glass windows, which are like colorful pictures made of glass, are still there.
Saint Mark's also has several special embroidered cloths called "frontals" made by Kempe's company. These are very rare and some are still used today. The Lady Chapel now has a famous silver altar. It has almost 150 tiny sculptures of saints and scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.
The church tower is one of about 50 in North America that has bells set up for "change ringing." This is a special way of ringing bells in a musical pattern. The eight bells were made in London in 1876 and 1878. They were fixed up for change ringing again in 1999.
The church has a large pipe organ called the Aeolian-Skinner organ. It was built between 1936 and 1937 and designed by G. Donald Harrison. It's an early example of his "American Classic" style. There's also another organ, a string organ, which was also given by Rodman Wanamaker.
Recent Times: The 2000s
In 2004, some changes were made to the main organ. Because of these changes, the Organ Historical Society removed a special historical award it had given the organ in 1982.
More recently, in 2017 and 2018, some parts that had been added to the organ were removed. They were replaced with older, original-style pipes from another church's organ.
In 2008, Saint Mark's Church took on the Church of St. James the Less as a mission. This means they help support and guide that church. In September 2011, a middle school was opened on the property of Saint James the Less.
Saint Mark's Church holds daily Mass services. It also helps the community by running a food cupboard and a soup kitchen for those in need. The Reverend Sean E. Mullen served as the church's leader, called the Rector, from 2006 until April 2024.
Church Leadership
Vestry Members
The church is guided by a group called the vestry. This group is made up of 12 members from the church community.
Past Rectors
The Rector is the main priest and leader of the church. Here are some of the people who have served as Rector of Saint Mark's:
- Joseph Pierre Bell Wilmer (1849-1861)
- Edward Abiel Washburn (1862-1865)
- Walter Mitchell (1866-1868)
- Eugene Augustus Hoffman (1869-1879)
- Isaac Lea Nicholson (1879-1891)
- Alfred Garnett Mortimer (1891-1912)
- Elliot White (1913-1920)
- Frank Lawrence Vernon (1920-1944)
- William H. Dunphy (1944-1951)
- Emmett Parker Paige (1951-1971)
- Michael Becker (1971-1981)
- Charles Owen Moore (1982-1995)
- Richard Alton (1997-2005)
- Sean Mullen (2006-2024)
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Philadelphia
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia
- Isaac Lea Nicholson
- Frank L. Vernon
Images for kids
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church in 1958
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The steeple of St. Mark's in October 2014
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