Presbytery of Philadelphia gets new administrative headquarters

Designed to reflect the Presbyterian Church’s mission and service to the greater Philadelphia community, the new $2 million administrative headquarters for the nation’s oldest presbytery includes business and executive offices, a large conference space for use by local churches and community groups, a small chapel, and the Presbyterian Resource Center, which houses shared resources for the presbyteries of Philadelphia and West Jersey. Clerestory windows and skylights flood the interior with natural light, while high-performance, sustainable features ensure the building is both economically and environmentally responsible.

Geothermal heating and cooling, a green roof, impervious paving, and rain gardens complement natural interior finishes and furnishings. The 8,500-sf headquarters shares its northwest Philadelphia site with Oxford Presbyterian Church, and the administrative building’s exterior materials were chosen to mediate between the stone of the church and brick of nearby rowhouses. Scale and proportion of the new building and its neighborhood context were carefully considered. The project was completed through a collaborative design-build process.

The Building Team included Buell Kratzer Powell (architect), LSN Construction Management LLC (contractor), Ben Spillard (owner's representative), Joseph Barbato & Associates (SE), Hunt Engineering (CE), Madsen Inc. (MEP design/build), Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects (landscape design).