St. James Catholic Church

St. James, the first Catholic church west of the Schuylkill, was built on this site, the southeast corner of 38th and Chestnut streets, in 1852. The present church, shown here in its renovated, expanded form, was erected in 1887. The church’s current name, St. Agatha–St. James Catholic Church, signifies the merger of St. Agatha and St. James parishes.