New Century Guild
In 1906 this brick Italianate rowhouse, constructed in 1851, was purchased by the New Century Guild for use as its headquarters and service center. Founded by Eliza S. Turner (1826-1903), in 1882, the Guild was one of the earliest and most successful organizations devoted to supporting working women, and Turner was a tireless advocate for public education, women’s rights, and social justice for all.
The Guild was first located at 1109 Girard Avenue and moved successively to 1131 Girard Avenue and 1227 Arch Street until a bequest from Turner’s will enabled them to purchase this building. They hired the architects Morgan Bunting and Arthur Shrigley to renovate the interior, providing an expanded kitchen, large dining room, auditorium, and library, all in a Colonial Revival style.
With a membership that peaked at about 1000 in the early twentieth century, the Guild published a women's newspaper with national circulation, collected statistics on working women, offered evening classes for pleasure and professional development, provided a large library with a full-time librarian, served noonday meals for a modest price, rented guest rooms, and sponsored a health insurance plan. While the Guild took no official position on women’s suffrage, its members included many leading advocates.
In 2006, the New Century Guild was reincorporated as the New Century Trust, which in 2016, moved from this address. In 2022 it was renamed the Gender Justice Fund. The building was restored and adapted as Guild House Hotel in 2019-21.
https://pahistoricpreservation.com/the-new-century-guild-the-21st-century/