About the Meeting House / A Master Builder / Arch Street Meeting House

About the Meeting House, also, A Master Builder, also, Arch Street Meeting House. . , About the Meeting House , Quakers accounted for a substantial portion of the early Philadelphia population. As their community grew, so did the need for a larger worship space. Discussions about building a meetinghouse on the Arch Street burial grounds began in the early 1700s, but construction plans did not start until 1801. The meeting house was built in stages between 1803 and 1811, with both the East and West Rooms designed to hold around 1,200 people for worship., Arch Street Meeting House's Georgian style of architecture reflects the Quaker values of simplicity and equality. The Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia still worships here today., [Captions:] , ASMH was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011., The Women's Business Meeting was instrumental in financing the construction of Arch Street Meeting House., A Master Builder , Owen Biddle, Jr. (1774-1806) was the Quaker drafter and carpenter who designed and built Arch Street Meeting House. He was elected to the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, a craftsmen's guild, at 26. Biddle also wrote one of the first architecture books in American History, "The Young Carpenter's Assistant" (1805). Arch Street Meeting House is Biddle's only structure left in existence. He died before it was finished and is buried on the grounds., [Captions:] , While there are no known portraits of Biddle, original copies of his book exist., Biddle's original design for the Arch Street Meeting House, Arch Street Meeting House , Museum and Place of Worship, Visit With Us. Interested in exploring the Arch Street Meeting House? Check our website for visiting hours and information about our exhibits: www.HistoricASMH.org.,

Museum Hours: Thu. - Sun., 10 - 4 , Grounds: Every Day, 9 -5

, Worship With Us. The Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia, the vibrant community of Quakers who worship here now, has roots dating back to Pennsylvania's founding.,

Quaker Worship: Wednesday Evenings; Sundays, 10:30 am