Witherspoon Building (Philadelphia, Pa.)

In 1895, the Trustees and Buisiness Committee of the Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work (PCUSA) appointed a Subcommittee on New Building. Its purpose was to manage and oversee the construction of a new building to house various PCUSA offices, including the Board of Publication and Sabbath-School Work, the Presbyterian Historical Society, and the General Assembly offices. A lot was purchased in Philadelphia, extending along Juniper Street from Walnut Street to Sansom Street. The committee elected to name the building in honor of the Rev. John Witherspoon. Joseph M. Huston was selected as architect. The decoration of the building tells the story of American Presbyterianism, including sculpted statues by Alexander Stirling Calder and Samuel Murray (in collaboration with Thomas Eakins), and medallions and seals. The 11-story Witherspoon Building remained the headquarters of the Board of Christian Education, the Presbyterian Historical Society, and other Presbyterian offices until the 1960s. In 1973, as part of the reorganization of General Assembly agencies, the General Secretary of the Board of Christian Education sold the Witherspoon Building.