481 New Academy School Buildings (1901-1911)

“Visitors to the Bryn Athyn of four months ago would hardly recognize the present perspective and those who knew our institution in Friedlander street, Philadelphia, will rub their eyes and wonder if this is, indeed, the same old ‘Academy’” (Editor, New Church Life 1904, 569).

Those individuals who have recently visited the new buildings on the campus of Bryn Athyn College, in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, may find that the above sentiment, expressed over a hundred years ago, speaks equally well to the present day.

In 1901, a new building was erected for the Academy of the New Church College and Secondary Schools (see photo, top) on land that is now occupied exclusively by the Academy Secondary Schools. It would eventually be given the name Benade Hall (1910), in honor of the Rev. William Henry Benade.  A dormitory for girls, Glenn Hall, was built the same year, but was occupied by the boys until 1904 when their own dormitory, Stuart Hall, was constructed. The dining hall and heating plant were also built in 1904. In 1909 work began on the combined library and museum building (now the Fine Arts Building, see photo, left), and the elementary school (De Charms Hall, now part of the Secondary Schools). Continue reading » » » »

475 Fun Facts Worth a Second Look

From time to time new photographs surface following the publication of a New Church History Fun Fact. Each Fun Fact is researched and written within a very limited time frame, making it likely that new materials will come to light at a later date. In fact, one of the most exciting aspects of this project is the additional information we periodically receive from our readers.

Every Fun Fact sent to our subscribers via email also exists permanently on the NewChurchHistory.org website, where the material can be continuously updated. We are pleased to provide links to three previous Fun Facts that have recently had striking new photographs added.

 

  Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the Academy of the New Church at Seaside Resort (1886)

 

 

  Replica of Swedenborg House at St. Louis World Fair (1904)

 

 

  Bronze Bust of Swedenborg Disappears from Lincoln Park, Chicago; Police Baffled (1976)

 

 

The editors of NewChurchHistory.org would like to thank Marvin B. Clymer, Academy of the New Church Archives, Bryn Athyn, PA, for locating and scanning the new material. Photo credits for the photographs in this New Church History Fun Fact can be found at the end of each of the three Fun Facts listed.

Questions and comments may be addressed to the editors at info@newchurchhistory.org.