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Friends Center Corporation records

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG4-133

Content Description

The records document the planning and progress of renovations of Friends Center, a campus of Quaker-related organizations in Center City, Philadelphia. Friends Center Corporation was organized in 1972 to oversee construction plans. It is responsible for managing the Friends Center property with the goal of furthering the beliefs and testimonies of the Reigious Society of Friends. Documents illustrate Quaker process in the world of business and construction. Includes minutes, financial, legal, blueprints, and related papers.

Dates

  • Creation: 1917-2010

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright has not been assigned to the Repository.

Biographical / Historical

Friends Center’s place in Philadelphia history began in 1856, when the Race Street Meetinghouse was built jointly by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting and what is now known as Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting.

The continuously active meetinghouse has served its congregation and the larger community for over 150 years. Important figures in the life of this building have included prominent women’s right activists Lucretia Mott, Hannah Clothier Hull, and Alice Paul. In 1993 the Race Street Meetinghouse was designated a National Historic Landmark for its role in women’s rights movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the early 1960s, a group of Friends responded to the long-stated wish to have a physical place where Quakers could gather for thought and action. Their response took the form of a plan for a dedicated campus, a Friends Center, where service organizations could be housed together to enable the synergies that come from physical proximity. The site they chose encorporates the Race Street Meetinghouse and its tree-filled courtyard. An adjacent 56,000 square foot office building was constructed in the early 1970s.

The campus consisted of the original Race Street Meeting House, 1520 Race Street, and a new building at 1501 Cherry Street. The campus was dedicated as Friends Center in November 1975. By the late 1990s planning began for renovation and capital improvements of the campus. Beginning in 2004, the renovation was completed in 2009 with a goal of environmental witness which included thermal wells, a green roof, and storm water management Today Friends Center continues to function as a center for Quaker concerns. In 2021 it was announced that nearby Friends Select School will purchase the building at 1520 Race Street which will formalize the connectivity between the School and the Center.

Friends Center Corporation was organized in 1972 to oversee construction plans. According to its 1996 mission statement, FCC is responsible for managing the Friends Center property with the goal of furthering the beliefs and testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends

Source: https://www.friendscentercorp.org/about/history-of-friends-center/

Extent

7 linear ft. (9 boxes and 3 oversized blueprint boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The records document the planning and progress of renovations of Friends Center, a campus of Quaker-related organizations in Center City, Philadelphia. Friends Center Corporation was organized in 1972 to oversee construction plans. It is responsible for managing the Friends Center property with the goal of furthering the beliefs and testimonies of the Reigious Society of Friends. Documents illustrate Quaker process in the world of business and construction. Includes minutes, financial, legal, blueprints, and related papers.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposited by Friends Center Corporation, Acc. 2018.066

Related Materials

RG4/117; Quaker Information Center records;

RG2: Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting of Friends records

Separated Materials

Materials removed to FHL AV:

Cassette tapes 1975: Dedication of Friends Center - 3 tapes Cassette tapes 1974: Tape for slide file - 3 tapes: 1 Douglass Steere and 2 W. Camenisch. Slides presentation 1974: Script and slides Photographs: To be processed in FHL Pictures

Title
Friends Center Corporation records
Status
Completed
Author
Susanna Morikawa
Date
March 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA