Jeff Scofield on December 9th, 2021:
Updated July 23, 2019 | By Matthew Christopher, abandonedamerica.us St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Germantown was built between 1873-1883 for Henry Howard Houston, the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Houston was interested in developing the surrounding area, and the church is believed to be part of his plan to attract wealthy clientele to settle in the area. The church itself, the adjacent rectory, and the chapel/Sunday school were designed by noted Philadelphia architects Frank Furness and George Hewitt in a style that incorporated Gothic and high Victorian elements. The parish house was the final addition, designed by Theophilus P. Chandler Jr. in 1898. It is rumored that Walt Whitman frequented the campus. Dwindling membership and a consequent inability to fund the costs of operation led to St. Peter's closure in 2005. The buildings had been on the National Register of Historic Places for 40 years and contained a number of historical treasures, including two Tiffany stained glass windows and two created in 1909 by celebrated muralist Violet Oakley. Many people in the area were concerned that they would be lost. In a somewhat controversial move, after the closure the windows were taken to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the E. M. Skinner organ was removed and placed in another Philadelphia church. In 2013, developer Ken Weinstein and the Waldorf School chose to rehabilitate the buildings and move their school onto the property. While some modifications were made to the structures to improve heating/cooling efficiency, they were committed to keeping the character of the site intact.

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Database Manager on January 16th, 2006:
Identified through information adapted from <i>E. M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List</i>, by Sand Lawn and Allen Kinzey (Organ Historical Society, 1997), and included here through the kind permission of Sand Lawn: <br><i> Built in Westfield, renovated in 1953, #407-A; subsequent changes by Delaware Organ Co.</i>