Penn recently acquired Tabernacle United Church, which had long leased space to the University, for $6.5 million.
The church, located at 3700 Chestnut St., has contained Penn Live Arts’ Iron Gate Theatre for almost 30 years. According to Associate Vice President of Real Estate Services Rachel Siegert, Penn reached the acquisition agreement after the church “decided it was the right time to sell.”
“The acquisition allows the Church to continue holding services in the building, while Iron Gate Theatre will remain in place as a venue for student shows and Penn Live Arts programming,” Siegert wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “The balance of the property will support University offices and programs.”
The purchase marks the latest development in Penn’s decades-long relationship with Tabernacle United Church. In 1997, Penn bought the church’s Westminster House — a connected section of the property by Sansom and 37th streets — for $230,000 and signed the lease with the church for its theater.
The original agreement set the lease for 10 years, with the option of extending with two five-year terms. The church also granted Penn the ability to purchase the entire building under the terms of the lease.
Penn’s Christian Association sold its building — now known as the ARCH — to the University in 1999 after contentious negotiations and relocated to the Westminster House on a 25-year lease the following year. The move displaced then-newly formed Casa Latina, which is presently in the ARCH.
Currently, the Westminster House is home to Penn’s Spiritual and Religious Life Center, which moved into the space last fall. The Christian Association also continues to host programming in the house.
Tabernacle United Church began construction in 1884 and has a Philadelphia Register of Historic Places designation, requiring the property’s owner to seek approval from the Philadelphia Historical Commission for changes that need a building permit or affect the site’s exterior.
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In the early 1900s, the church formed an “affiliation agreement” with Penn’s Christian Association, according to its website. The church’s current congregation dates back to the 1980s, describing itself as “a sanctuary space for those who need it” and welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community.
Penn’s multimillion-dollar purchase of Tabernacle United Church comes after the University declined to acquire the former Woodland Presbyterian Church at Pine and 42nd streets, which is being converted into apartments.
Just across 37th Street lies Sansom Place West, which Penn and real estate company Greystar are redeveloping as primarily graduate student housing.
The purchase also follows the University’s recent acquisition of the property formerly occupied by Hummus Grill. New York City-based restaurant 7th Street Burger is moving into the vacant space and will open later this year.
