National Register of Historic Places

American Baptist Publication Society

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Listed
June 26, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80003607

About this property

The Crozer Building is a historic building at 1420–1422 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built as the headquarters of the American Baptist Publication Society, and is sometimes called the American Baptist Publication Society building. On February 2, 1896, a disastrous fire razed the headquarters of the American Baptist Publication Society (ABPS) at 1420–1422 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to destroying much of the property, records, and library of the ABPS, it also destroyed the archives of the American Baptist Historical Society which shared the ABPS's building. In the same year of that fire, the ABPS began construction of a new headquarters building on the same site. The new building, the Crozer Building, was named after the Crozer family, a prominent Baptist family who had a long history with the ABPS. One member of the family, Samuel Aldrich Crozer, served a term as the ABPS's president. The Crozer Building was designed by the architectural firm of Frank Miles Day & Brother. It used a French Renaissance Revival style. After two years of construction, the new building officially opened in 1898. Part of the building was occupied earlier, with the ABHS moving into the new facility on November 17, 1897 before construction had been completed. The building was given a formal grand opening on February 17, 1898. Along with Jacob Reed's Sons Store to the immediate west and the Packard Building on 15th Street, the building set the standard for commercial buildings on fashionable Chestnut Street. The Crozer Building included Griffith Hall, named for Dr. Benjamin Griffith, which was used as a place for public music concerts and other events from the 1890s through the 1920s. In 1980, in recognition of its significance as a national historical structure, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

1420--1422 Chestnut St.
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
39.95083, -75.16492

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Broad Street Historic District
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0 mi
Land Title Building
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Center City West Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)
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0.1 mi
Union League of Philadelphia
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0.1 mi
Drexel and Company Building
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0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Germantown Oct 4 1777
1777Revolutionary War
2.9 mi
Battle of Barren Hill
1778Revolutionary War
4.6 mi
Battle of Gloucester (NJ) 1777
1777Revolutionary War
4.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was American Baptist Publication Society listed on the National Register?

American Baptist Publication Society was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 1980.

What type of historic resource is American Baptist Publication Society?

American Baptist Publication Society is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for American Baptist Publication Society?

The period of significance for American Baptist Publication Society is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near American Baptist Publication Society?

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