The Church of the Transfiguration Historical Photos
Originally a humble wooden chapel built on a parcel of farmland in 1905, the Church of the Transfiguration's parish flourished to such a degree that a new building was constructed. The lower church was built for the parishioners in 1925 and the upper church was finished in 1928. Capable of seating over 2,500 people, it was one of the biggest and most magnificent churches in philadelphia, but by the 1970s demographics had shifted in the urban center around it and it was eventually closed in 2000.
Historical photos and additional material related to transfiguration. Thanks to the Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center for providing the 1955 booklet that many of these scans were taken from, and Joe Kearney, who sent addition material. While I could not find any information pertaining to the names of the photographers who took these images if anyone can provide that information I would like to include it here. Please note that no photographs in this gallery are for sale by me.
After its closing it was purchased by conman Raffaello Follieri, a con artist who was supposedly going to use inside connections to buy churches from the Vatican for low prices and rehabilitate them into community centers. Instead, he lived a lavish lifestyle with his girlfriend at the time, actress Anne Hathaway. He had no inside connections and lost bids on all other churches he tried to purchase, save for three (Transfiguration being one of them) which sat abandoned for roughly a decade. When it was resold after Follieri's imprisonment the buyers (The Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School) only wanted the school and very quickly demolished the church and rectory before any opposition could be mounted from the community in 2009. It is currently an empty lot and the majority of the building was dumped in a landfill.
Historical photos and additional material related to transfiguration. Thanks to the Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center for providing the 1955 booklet that many of these scans were taken from, and Joe Kearney, who sent addition material. While I could not find any information pertaining to the names of the photographers who took these images if anyone can provide that information I would like to include it here. Please note that no photographs in this gallery are for sale by me.
After its closing it was purchased by conman Raffaello Follieri, a con artist who was supposedly going to use inside connections to buy churches from the Vatican for low prices and rehabilitate them into community centers. Instead, he lived a lavish lifestyle with his girlfriend at the time, actress Anne Hathaway. He had no inside connections and lost bids on all other churches he tried to purchase, save for three (Transfiguration being one of them) which sat abandoned for roughly a decade. When it was resold after Follieri's imprisonment the buyers (The Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School) only wanted the school and very quickly demolished the church and rectory before any opposition could be mounted from the community in 2009. It is currently an empty lot and the majority of the building was dumped in a landfill.