The Philadelphia Historical Commission is also expected to designate the Blue Bell Mission, a framed chapel that operated as a Methodist church for more than a century.
Built in 1879, the chapel is situated on West Johnson Street, not far from the Walnut Lane Bridge. At the time, Blue Bell Hill was still fairly undeveloped.
“It’s sort of almost like a country town, but yet still within the boundaries of Philadelphia,” said architectural historian Oscar Beisert, who authored the nomination.
The Blue Bell Mission chapel (Oscar Beisert)
The chapel originally stood on nearby Wissahickon Avenue. It was later lifted onto logs and rolled down Walnut Lane to its current location. Beisert said these smaller churches were often replaced by larger structures after a congregation grew big enough.
That never happened in this case.
“Because it was such a small community and they were in a location that didn’t have much land to grow on, the congregation itself always stayed very small,” Beisert said.
The church has enjoyed some intrigue nonetheless. One of its longtime pastors, Rev. Charles Albany, also worked as a guard in nearby Wissahickon Valley Park, a position he took up after serving in the Civil War. The dual role earned him the moniker “the park guard preacher.”
Rev. Joseph Williams, the chapel’s final pastor, sang with the The Dixie Hummingbirds, one of the country’s most influential and successful gospel groups.
Weinstein, who bought the building about a year ago, plans to convert the Methodist chapel into a single-family home.