The people behind the places

John McArthur Jr.

Architect · 1823–1890

Philadelphia architect John McArthur Jr. designed churches, banks, hotels and public buildings. His surviving work includes carefully ordered classical facades and a science institute conceived for public learning.

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Browse the works documented in this collection. Map links follow the atlas’s 1850–1900 period.

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1856Altered

Tenth Presbyterian Church

Philadelphia, PA

A Lombard Romanesque church at Seventeenth and Spruce Streets, later altered and now missing its once exceptionally tall wooden spire.

Recorded role: Architect of the West Spruce Street church; major 1893 alterations by Frank Miles Day.
Reported style: Romanesque Revival

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Dates & sources

Reported dates: 1856

Completed in 1856 as West Spruce Street Presbyterian Church; later merged with Tenth Presbyterian. The spire was removed in 1912.

Location: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.

Tenth Presbyterian Church Wikipedia · Building identity, architectural attribution, historical phase, style and published location

1859–1865Standing

Wagner Free Institute of Science

Philadelphia, PA

A science institute with a classical street facade, lecture hall and a large specimen display hall conceived for free public education.

Recorded role: Architect of the original building; Collins & Autenrieth contributed later work.
Reported style: Renaissance Revival
Construction span: About 6 years · based on recorded years

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Dates & sources

Reported dates: 1859–1865

Construction began in 1859 and the institute completed and opened the building in 1865.

Construction record: Construction began in 1859 and the institute completed and opened the building in 1865.

Location: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.

Wagner Free Institute of Science Wikipedia · Building identity, architectural attribution, historical phase, style and published location
History Wagner Free Institute of Science · McArthur attribution and 1859–1865 construction

1867Altered

First National Bank — Chestnut Street building

Philadelphia, PA

A compact banking hall with a palazzo-like stone facade, monumental columns and a crowning balustrade; later adapted for the Science History Institute.

Recorded role: Architect.
Reported style: Renaissance Revival

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Dates & sources

Reported dates: 1867

The original bank is documented as 1865–1867; its cornerstone was laid in May 1866. A precise start of physical work is not asserted here.

Location: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.

First National Bank (Philadelphia) Wikipedia · Building identity, architectural attribution, historical phase, style and published location
First National Bank — additions and alterations Philadelphia Architects and Buildings · Original building at 315 Chestnut Street built in 1865–1867 by John McArthur Jr.

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John McArthur Jr. — biography and works Wikipedia · Biographical context, architectural practice and links to identified works