Rittenhouse Square Location for EBTS

On March 19, 1925, six Baptist ministers came together with a dream to open "a new theological school, devoted to the wholesome, vigorous, and effective training of students for the Gospel ministry." Their answer became Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) which originally stood from 1808-1818 S. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA. From 1925 to 1932, the seminary bought the properties surrounding 1812 – the first building purchased on July 20, 1925 – with 1814 purchased in 1926, 1810 in 1928, 1808 and 1816 in 1930, and finally 1818 in 1931, giving the campus a total of 126 square feet.

On March 19, 1925, six Baptist ministers came together with a dream to open "a new theological school, devoted to the wholesome, vigorous, and effective training of students for the Gospel ministry." Their answer became Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) which originally stood from 1808-1818 S. Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA.

Facing the park, EBTS had one major problem in its early years: the student population frequently outgrew the building. From 1925 to 1932, the seminary bought the properties surrounding 1812 – the first building purchased on July 20, 1925 – with 1814 purchased in 1926, 1810 in 1928, 1808 and 1816 in 1930, and finally 1818 in 1931, giving the campus a total of 126 square feet. And yet, from the opening date of September 22, 1925, EBTS was consistently at capacity, with rapid growth forcing faculty offices into rooms originally meant for closets and pantries. In the back of the first catalog under the heading "Expenses," the following statement can be found:

“The rooms in the seminary are completely furnished, including bed clothing. Students supply their own bath towels. The rooms are well heated and lighted. There is no charge for tuition, room, light or heat. Each student is charged $6.00 per week for board. …Apartments are provided for students with children. The Seminary pays the rent and the student furnishes and heats the apartment and takes care of the living expenses.”

EBTS celebrated its first graduating class in May 1926 with 11 students – small by today's standards, but impressive at the time. Charles T. Ball was the EBTS president at the time, as well as one of the six founding ministers of the school, who also was a professor of Psychology of Religion, and his office overlooked the first floor entry of 1812, paneled in wood mahogany. As the school grew, so did its holdings: a library of 20,000 volumes was built on the ground floor of the 1816 building, and a women's lounge was added for Senior Tea as well as piano lessons.

Of course, EBTS wanted to expand even further, and in 1939, they got their opportunity to purchase a new property: one that they would remain in for over seventy years.

Eastern University Archives. Warner Memorial Library, St. Davids, PA 19087.

Frame, Randall L. Praise & Promise: A Pictorial History of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Donning Company Publishers. 2000.

Guffin, Gilbert L. What God Hath Wrought: Eastern's First Thirty-five Years. Judson Press. 1960.