Philly250: Frankford Preparative Friends Meeting House (built 1776)

The Frankford Preparative Friends Meeting House at 4371 Waln Street (near the intersection of Waln and Unity streets) was built in 1775-1776 and is the oldest Quaker (Society of Friends) meeting house in Philadelphia. This Frankford landmark has served as a site of worship and community throughout its history. It was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1960.

The monthly meeting

Quaker, or Friends, congregations are called meetings. The monthly meeting which uses the site has had many names but is among the oldest Friends congregations in the region. The group occupied the site at Waln and Unity streets as early as 1684 and built a log meeting house and brick meeting house (1704) which no longer stand.

The congregation was known as the Tackony (Tacony) Preparative Meeting, then the Oxford Preparative Meeting and the Frankford Preparative Meeting, before becoming the Unity Monthly Meeting in 1999 to avoid confusion with the nearby Frankford Monthly Meeting. In 2024, the Unity Monthly and its building was joined by the Ujima Friends Peace Center.

The Meeting House and Burial Ground

The Frankford Preparative Friends Meeting House was built as a one-room hall in 1775-1776.

The meeting blossomed as Frankford developed from a quiet, largely rural area into an increasingly busy industrial community. In 1811-1812, the meeting expanded the building with an addition, creating space for a growing meeting.

The new addition also provided an equally sized space for women to hold separate business meetings after religious meetings for worship, which became common practice in the late 18th century. Later meeting houses were designed to offer equal discussion areas for men and women. The Frankford Preparative Friends Meeting House is unique as a one-room structure which was altered to add a new, separate space for women's meetings, showing an important change in Quaker practices and a turning point in meeting house design.

The meeting house features Flemish-bond brick on street-facing facades and local stone facing the burying ground. Materials from the earlier brick meeting house on site, built 1704, may have been used, leading to the mix of stone and brick. Friends generally practice thrift and simplicity. In practice, they emphasize reusing salvaged materials during meeting house construction. The meeting house's unique appearance thus reflects both the history of the site and Quaker values.

In 1947 and 1962, single-story brick additions to the east end of the building expanded the structure with new restrooms, classrooms, and kitchen space.

The site contains one of the oldest Friends burying grounds in the region. It is located just south of the meeting house and was in use ca. 1687-1860. Approximately 1,000 people are interred in the burying ground.

Community Space

Throughout its history, this meeting house has been a community center in addition to being a space for religious worship. Starting in 1929, the Women's Club of Frankford hosted a children's recreational center in the building. Lectures and discussion groups met regularly on site in the mid- to late- 20th century. Around the turn of the 21st century, the meeting house hosted social service and community support organizations. In addition to the monthly meeting, Ujima Friends Peace Center continues this legacy, aiming to "to reduce violence and provide a safe haven with educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for adults and young people."

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Historical Commission is spotlighting buildings or sites which existed in 1776. All are listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Check back for another featured property and visit our Instagram page (@phlplandevelop) for historic images of this site and others in the series under the hashtag #PRHP1776. Previously, this blog featured the Michael Billmeyer House.