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• Collection: Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey

• Title: Church of St. James the Less, 3200 West Clearfield Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA
• Creator(s): Historic American Buildings Survey, creator
• Related Names:
     Place, G G
     Butterfield, William
     Carver, John E
     Ralston, Robert
     Arzola, Robert R , project manager
     Boucher, Jack E , photographer
     Guarino, Jean Louise , historian
     Louden, Elizabeth , field team supervisor
     Strain, Mary Ellen , field team
     Laube, Clifford J , field team
     Valenzuela, Daniel R , field team
     William Penn Foundation , sponsor
• Date Created/Published: Documentation compiled after 1933
• Medium: Photo(s): 93
  Color Transparencies: 17
  Measured Drawing(s): 21
  Data Page(s): 62
  Photo Caption Page(s): 8
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. (http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html)
  
• Call Number: HABS PA,51-PHILA,318-
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
• Notes:
  • Significance: Built between 1846 and 1848, St. James the Less is the first pure example of a Medieval Parish Church in the United States. It is also the first church to be inspired by, and constructed under the supervision of, the English Ecclesiological (late Cambridge Camden) Society, a highly influential group dedicated to reviving Medieval ritual and church design. An intimate and exquisitely beautiful church, St. James the Less is a superb reproduction of St. Michael's, Longstanton in Cambridgeshire, built ca. 1230. Measured drawings of St. Michael's were executed by English architect G.G. Place. By providing plans for the church as well as technical assistance regarding its furnishings and ornamentation, the Ecclesiological Society was highly instrumental in the erection of St. James the Less in its present form. Construction was supervised by Philadelphia architect John E. Carver, along with founder and building committee leader Robert Ralston, whose vision and financial backing made the erection of the church possible. The authenticity of St. James the Less's undisguised materials and structure with its massive granite walls and buttresses, oak trussed ceiling, stone arcade and pillars surpassed previous Gothic Revival churches in America. Moreover, unprecedented liturgical and stylistic correctness was achieved first and foremost by its clearly articulated chancel and symmetrical design, as well as High Church elements including the prominent marble altar, richly carved choir stalls and pews, spectacular glass windows, and metal rood screen embedded with semiprecious stones. St. James the Less's simple nave plan provided the most suitable prototype yet to appear for America's rapidly emerging suburban and rural Episcopal parishes, and stimulated a parish church revival throughout the country. Prominent architects Richard Upjohn and Frank Wills produced numerous churches based on St. James the Less. Later, as the American frontier expanded, the design inspired by St. James the Less traveled farther west. Although the design became modified in its passage, its essential elements continue to influence small church design even today.
  • Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N326
  • Survey number: HABS PA-1725
  • Building/structure dates: 1846- 1848 Initial Construction
  • National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 74001801
• Subjects:
  • Episcopal churches
  • religions
  • Gothic Revival architectural elements
• Place:
  • Pennsylvania--Philadelphia County--Philadelphia
• Latitude/Longitude: 40.00358, -75.182547
• Collections:
  • Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey
• Part of: Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
• Bookmark This Record:
     https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/pa1153/

The Library of Congress generally does not own rights to material in its collections and, therefore, cannot grant or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute the material. For further rights information, see "Rights Information" below and the Rights and Restrictions Information page ( https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/rights.html ).

• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html
• Reproduction Number: ---
• Call Number: HABS PA,51-PHILA,318-
• Medium: Photo(s): 93
  Color Transparencies: 17
  Measured Drawing(s): 21
  Data Page(s): 62
  Photo Caption Page(s): 8

If Digital Images Are Displaying

You can download online images yourself. Alternatively, you can purchase copies of various types through Library of Congress Duplication Services.

HABS/HAER/HALS materials have generally been scanned at high resolution that is suitable for most publication purposes (see Digitizing the Collection for further details about the digital images).

• Photographs--All photographs are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
• Make note of the Call Number and Item Number that appear under the photograph in the multiple-image display (e.g., HAER, NY,52-BRIG,4-2).
• If possible, include a printout of the photograph.
• Drawings--All drawings are printed from digital files to preserve the fragile originals.
• Make note of the Survey Number (e.g., HAER NY - 143) and Sheet Number (e.g., "Sheet 1 of 4"), which appear on the edge of the drawing. (NOTE: These numbers are visible in the Tiff "Reference Image" display.)
• If possible, include a printout of the drawing.
• Data Pages
• Make note of the Call Number in the catalog record.

If Digital Images Are Not Displaying

In the rare case that a digital image for HABS/HAER/HALS documentation is not displaying online, select images for reproduction through one of these methods:

• Visit the Prints & Photographs Reading Room and request to view the group (general information about service in the reading room is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/001_ref.html). It is best to contact reference staff in advance (see: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html) to make sure the material is on site. OR
• P&P reading room staff can provide up to 15 quick copies of items per calendar year (many original items in the holdings are too old or fragile to make such copies, but generally HABS/HAER/HALS materials are in good enough condition to be placed on photocopy machines). For assistance, see our Ask a Librarian page OR
• Hire a freelance researcher to do further selection for you (a list of researchers in available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/013_pic.html).
• You can purchase copies of various types, including quick copies, through Library of Congress Duplication Services (price lists, contact information, and order forms for Library of Congress Duplication Services are available on the Duplication Services Web site):
• Make note of the Call Number listed above.
• Look at the Medium field above. If it lists more than one item:
• The entire group can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.
• All the items in a particular medium (e.g., all drawings, all photographs) can be ordered as photocopies or high-quality copies.

• Call Number: HABS PA,51-PHILA,318-
• Medium: Photo(s): 93
  Color Transparencies: 17
  Measured Drawing(s): 21
  Data Page(s): 62
  Photo Caption Page(s): 8

Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). In some cases, a surrogate (substitute image) is available, often in the form of a digital image, a copy print, or microfilm.

1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

   • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.

     As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)

   • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.

2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

   • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.

   • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.

3. If you do not see a thumbnail image or a reference to another surrogate, please fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room. In many cases, the originals can be served in a few minutes. Other materials require appointments for later the same day or in the future. Reference staff can advise you in both how to fill out a call slip and when the item can be served.

To contact Reference staff in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room, please use our Ask A Librarian service or call the reading room between 8:30 and 5:00 at 202-707-6394, and Press 3.