Father Pitt

Tag: Corner Towers

  • First Reformed Church, McKeesport

    First Reformed Church

    It is cheering to report that this impressive little Gothic church, once an abandoned hulk, has now been stabilized and put to use, apparently as a private home. Some of the stained glass was smashed while it was abandoned, but the remainder has been kept in place and covered with clear glass to seal up the holes. Since it sits in a prominent spot diagonally across from the Carnegie Free Library of McKeesport, it improves the neighborhood quite a bit to have this building occupied.

    Cornerstone

    The cornerstone bears a date of 1903.

    The outsized tower and shadowy inset corner porch are distinctive features.

    Porch
    Corner view

  • Knoxville Presbyterian Church

    Knoxville Presbyterian Church

    The outstanding feature of this church is its outsized corner tower; the architect has cleverly emphasized its height with strong vertical lines. Corner towers are common in churches on corner lots, but seldom do they reach these proportions. (Addendum: The architects were the firm of Craig, Hodgens & Burns.)1

    Update: A fire severely damaged the education wing and the interior of the church in January of 2026.

    Tower

    There are also smaller towers at three of the other four corners of the building, and a matching Sunday-school wing is attached.

    Rear of the church

    This is one of several abandoned churches in Knoxville, but at least somebody mows the lawn and sweeps away the trash. Note the steep slope that makes two floors’ difference between the front of the lot and the back of the lot.

    Knoxville Presbyterian Church
    1. Record & Guide, July 23, 1902, p. 488. “Craig Hodgen [sic] & Burns, Bissell Building, have awarded the contract for the Knoxville Presbyterian church to G. H. Schmunk.” ↩︎

  • Carnegie United Methodist Church

    Carnegie is full of impressive churches in a wide variety of styles. This one is in a heavy Romanesque style, and the bell tower (now festooned with loudspeakers) is appropriately impressive and weighty.

    Addendum: The architect was James N. Campbell; the building was probably put up in about 1893. Source: Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, September 7, 1892: “J. N. Campbell has prepared the plans for a new Methodist Church to be erected at Mansfield, Pa., at a cost of about $30,000. The pastor is Rev. G. T. Reynolds.” (Carnegie was formed from the two boroughs of Mansfield and Chartiers.)