North Philly Church Rehab Underway

January 9, 2012 |  by  |  Buzz  |  , , , ,

St. Simeon Episcopal Church. Photo by Rachel Hildebrandt

The massive 1889 St. Simeon Episcopal Church at the corner of 9th Street and Lehigh Avenue is being rehabilitated. The long-vacant, crumbling building seemed an unlikely candidate for rehabilitation. Fortunately, neither the building’s size nor its condition deterred the Washington, DC-based denomination called “Church of the Living God, Column and Pillar of Truth, Light of the World” from purchasing it. The congregation, which acquired the adjoined church and school in 2010 for $310,000, hopes to complete work by 2013.

About the author

Rachel Hildebrandt, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, is a native Philadelphian who is passionate about the ever-changing city she inhabits. Before beginning her graduate studies in historic preservation planning, Rachel obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Chestnut Hill College and co-authored two books, The Philadelphia Area Architecture of Horace Trumbauer (2009) and Oak Lane, Olney, and Logan (2011), both published by Arcadia Publishing.

1 Comment

  1. Davis
    January 10, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Great news that it be used for something close to its original purpose!