Feature Preservation for Future Generations

Centuries before this “pleasant place” in Lenape country was designated a National Historic Site, Swedish settlers consecrated Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church. The church has weathered the test of time and was recently restored to its 1846 glory—thanks to visionary volunteers, preservationists, and funds from contributors, the Commonwealth, and QVNA.

By Candace Roberts. Photos courtesy of Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation.

The Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church site on the Delaware River in Philadelphia has been in continuous use from the time it was part of Lenape country through its 350 years of recorded history. The roots of the congregation reach back to 1677, when Swedish colonists first held church services in a blockhouse on the present property. The Lenape called the area “Wicaco,” meaning pleasant place. The Swedes adopted this name for their church. Recent scholarship indicates that the Swedes and Lenape formed a stable alliance based on mutual respect, “a shared use of the land, and an inclusive definition of freedom, all facilitated by mutual commitment to economic gain.”

From a humble birth grew a living landmark

The balance of power along the Delaware shifted with the arrival of William Penn. When Penn’s commissioners arrived in 1681, they found that almost all the land along the western bank of the Delaware had already been granted to Swedish, Dutch, and English colonists. The blockhouse was a notable landmark. Early in 1682, Penn’s commissioners purchased a stretch of unimproved waterfront property from some of the Swedish settlers who lived near the blockhouse. In 1697, Andreas Rudman became rector of the congregation and found a dilapidated building. He noted that the “[church is] old and in a bad condition, therefore, with God’s help, we are endeavoring to build [a new one].” The new church was consecrated on June 2, 1700.

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church as it stands today at 916 S. Swanson Street.

“And it was called GLORIA, and in Swedish, Gudz Ähros Huus, and in English, House of God’s Glory.” This is part of the entry that Erik Björk, pastor of the Swedish congregation at Christina (now Wilmington, Delaware), made in his records about the Wicaco consecration ceremony. “The church so beautifully christened on that June morning … not far from the southern edge of the town itself.” Björk and many of his parishioners had come to join their fellow congregation and its pastor Andreas Rudman, for consecration services. Also present were members of Christ Church in Philadelphia, to do honor to their Swedish friends and neighbors. William Penn and other notable historical figures of the time were also said to be in attendance.*

Past as prologue and preservation its future

From the 1930s to present, the site transformed from a constrained historic churchyard surrounded by industrial buildings into a living landmark set within an expanded, commemorative green space. This transformation began when Gloria Dei Church was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1938 and was designated a National Historic Site in 1942. The National Park Service acquired adjacent properties to the north and south of Gloria Dei Church and cleared the land for greening purposes. This is when Gloria Dei Church became a historic site set in the middle of a national park. The vision reflected the expansive city planning methods of the mid-20th century.

In 2014, the Historic Gloria Dei Preservation Corporation (HGDPC) was formed as an independent nonprofit to raise funds for the preservation of the historic buildings on the Gloria Dei campus as well as its graveyard. In 2019, HGDPC applied for and received a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Keystone Grant and a Queen Village Neighbors Association Community Grant to undertake extensive repairs and painting of the interior and exterior of the church and the exterior of the church hall. This project has addressed repairs needed to the wood trim in both buildings. The repair team, Materials Conservation, made in-depth repairs on the windows and clapboard, removing and replacing deteriorated wood. All the church windows in the church were reglazed, while keeping the historic glass window panes. The stained glass windows in the church hall were in danger of imminent collapse and were repaired and saved from certain destruction.

Rotted and damaged woodwork on the church exterior.

The Materials Conservation team at work on the church windows.

Church exterior after repairs and repainting.

Stained glass windows in the church hall in danger of collapse.j

The church hall following repairs and repainting.

In September, the project was complete. The church interior displays smooth, freshly painted walls. All areas of blistering and water damage have been repaired. The wood trim surrounding the roof of the church and the hall are repaired.

HGDPC is greatly appreciative of the financial support it received from Queen Village Neighbors Association to help complete this much-needed restoration. ■

* Ruth L. Springer, Louise Wallman, And. Rudman and Andreas Sandell. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. 84, No. 2 (Apr., 1960), pp. 194-218 (25 pages). University of Pennsylvania Press.

QUEEN VILLAGE QUARTERLY CRIER - FALL 2021