Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/294

 244 Sloan's Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [October, shaking-hand distance — and totally ex- cluding all modern ideas of comfort and domestic privacy — we see springing up in every quarter of our city what are called "three-quarter," and, in many in- stances, "double houses," utterly ignor- ing the old style, which we may venture to say is now fast getting out of favor. We hail with delight this change, as both an indication and a natural result of the rapid and ever increasing advance in refinement belonging to the age wherein we live ; and, as far as we, our- selves, are concerned, we shall assuredly improve every opportunity to extend a helping hand. THE WEST SPRUCE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF BROAD AND SPRUCE STREETS, PHILADELPHIA. Style: Venetian-Gothic. WE give a view and plan, in our present number, of this church, now building at the northwest corner of Broad and Spruce streets, in this city In this edifice the architect says, in effect, "he has not confined himself to the rules of any particular period, or the special development of the style in any region ;'.' but the church has been de- signed " in the spirit of early Gothic," with a tendency towards the Venetian, the^ latter evinced mainly in the use of different kinds and colors of stone in the exterior walls. The walls are of stone, that used for the facing being serpentine, from Ches- ter county, Pennsylvania, with Ohio " Clough" stone dressings. The church will have a high-pitched open-timbered roof, slated, and finished with an ornamental iron cresting, as can be seen in our illustration. The plan is cruciform, consisting of a nave and transepts, with aisles ; and a tower and spire. The nave is parallel to Broad street, and the full length of the lot, 120 feet. The width of the church at the transept is 10 feet. The principal entrance is through the tower, which stands on the Broad street side of the church ; and, in connection with the transept gable, will make that the principal facade; although the fronts on each street are to be equally well finished. The plan is somewhat unusual, in having the Lecture- Room and Sunday- School in front of the Audience-Room, instead of behind it ; and m substituting for the usual partition an ornamental screen of plate glass framed in carved tracery of black walnut, which can be opened and closed at pleasure ; so that the Church, Lecture-Room, and School can be thrown into one grand audito- rium, or be used separately. The most striking feature of the in- terior, however, will be the Baptistry, at the head of the nave, behind the pul- pit, built of polished marble, and en- closed with a lofty tabernacle of carved walnut, having gates of wrought metal- work, richly illuminated. Behind the Baptistry, will rise a chan- cel window, 19 feet broad, and over 36 feet high, enriched with stone tracery ; and filled with stained glass, to be im- ported from the celebrated Stained-glass Works, at Munich, Germany. The lead- ing subject of the painted glass will be the Baptism of our Saviour, in the river Jordan, by St. John. The other windows will also be filled with stained-glass. The organ will be placed in a gallery in one of the transepts. The church has sittings on the main