About the Church
In the late 1880s, downtown Easton resident David W. Nevin decided to move his family to the yet-undeveloped eastern section of College Hill. However, before he did so, he wanted his family and others to have a place to worship. With the help of others in the community, he turned his wish into a reality. The first building to house the congregation that would become College Hill Presbyterian Church was located at the corner of Parsons and Brodhead Streets. Known as 'the Chapel', it was converted into a home and sold when the current church was built. The architect of the beautiful structure you see today was Joseph M. Huston of Philadelphia, who would later design and build the state capitol in Harrisburg. The church was built with a stone exterior in Tudor-Gothic style, and the first service was held in the eight-sided sanctuary on the first Sunday of June, 1898.
The showpiece of the sanctuary is the Tiffany window, signed in the lower righthand corner by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Known to the congregation as the Resurrection Window, this magnificent work of art was donated in honor of the patriarch of the Gerstell family and was installed in the mid-1920s. The Nativity Window, installed in 2007, was donated by George Laub, a local attorney, in memory of his parents. It was created by Willet-Hauser Studios of Philadelphia. The remaining windows, which feature geometric designs, have all recently been restored.
The pews in the sanctuary are all original, and the carved wooden pulpit features statues of Jesus and the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. To the left of the pulpit you see the baptismal font. The cross was dedicated in 1986 and was designed and carved by Dennis Collier from a single piece of basswood.
The chapel area has been newly renovated. This area had been very dark, but now it is much brighter and more usable. The church has no narthex, or gathering area, so this space now fulfills that function. The lovely stained glass window in this area is dedicated to the family of Mr. Nevin, one of the founders of the church. The geometric pattern of the stained glass window in the prayer chapel echoes that of the windows in the sanctuary. This window was uncovered in the course of the recent renovations. The folding doors between the chapel and the sanctuary replaced older doors which rolled up. When they were being built, the Sunday School children were polled to see which symbols they would like to see in the stained glass panels in these doors. The doors were added in 1956-57, which is when the rest of the building was added to the original structure.
The showpiece of the sanctuary is the Tiffany window, signed in the lower righthand corner by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Known to the congregation as the Resurrection Window, this magnificent work of art was donated in honor of the patriarch of the Gerstell family and was installed in the mid-1920s. The Nativity Window, installed in 2007, was donated by George Laub, a local attorney, in memory of his parents. It was created by Willet-Hauser Studios of Philadelphia. The remaining windows, which feature geometric designs, have all recently been restored.
The pews in the sanctuary are all original, and the carved wooden pulpit features statues of Jesus and the apostles Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. To the left of the pulpit you see the baptismal font. The cross was dedicated in 1986 and was designed and carved by Dennis Collier from a single piece of basswood.
The chapel area has been newly renovated. This area had been very dark, but now it is much brighter and more usable. The church has no narthex, or gathering area, so this space now fulfills that function. The lovely stained glass window in this area is dedicated to the family of Mr. Nevin, one of the founders of the church. The geometric pattern of the stained glass window in the prayer chapel echoes that of the windows in the sanctuary. This window was uncovered in the course of the recent renovations. The folding doors between the chapel and the sanctuary replaced older doors which rolled up. When they were being built, the Sunday School children were polled to see which symbols they would like to see in the stained glass panels in these doors. The doors were added in 1956-57, which is when the rest of the building was added to the original structure.
Lehigh Presbytery
We're members of the Lehigh Presbytery, and send teaching elders and elder commissioners to the meetings of that council.