Bethel A.M.E. Church (Germantown) Building #2 / Rialto Theater Building / Tulpehocken Theater Building

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Neighborhood:Northwest

Address:
6153 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19144

Significance:
Founded in 1859, the Bethel A.M.E. Church relocated from its original building at Rittenhouse and Morton Streets (see entry) to this location in 1959. According to Cooperman, the congregation moved into the former Rialto Theater, at the corner of Germantown Avenue and E. Tulpehocken Street. The building had been constructed as the Tulpehocken Theater about 1914 and was later altered as a movie theater by William H. Lee, an architect who specialized in movie houses. The congregation continues to occupy this building.

Type of Historic Resource:church

Date Built / Architect:1914, architect unknown; alterations, William H. Lee

Extant: yes

National Register Historic District:Colonial Germantown National Historic Landmark District, listed as intrusion