The congregation of St. Philip’s first began in 1878, when Joseph Blount Cheshire traveled from Chapel Hill to minister to the rapidly growing town of Durham. By 1880, he had gathered enough of a flock to build a church building on the current site. This wood frame structure was replaced in 1908 with the stone sanctuary that you see today. Designed by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, the Gothic Revival church was very fashionable at the time, and today it is the oldest church building surviving in downtown Durham.

The parish house was built in 1945. Designed by Durham architect George Watts Carr, it was renovated and expanded in 2007. The parish hall and garden close were added in 1998, and a renovation to the garden close was completed in March 2022.

Our corner of downtown Durham has seen extensive change – from high status mansions, to the local bus terminal, to Urban Ministries of Durham. (Read more about the history of our site at Open Durham.)

In 2019, St. Philip’s was gifted a beautiful 50-acre property northwest of Durham. Just 18 minutes from St. Philip’s, The Trees is a wooded property with a beautiful mid-century modern home retreat center – the perfect place to gather away from normal life. The Trees is available for evening and day use for community gathering, individual contemplation and rest.

Our congregation is focused on being good stewards and good neighbors. We continue to pursue thoughtful discernment about how best to tend to our historic property and how to use our assets to serve our congregation and wider community.

Learn more about our Campus Study

Learn more about our partnership with Urban Ministries of Durham

Learn more about The Trees