The Pews of Jesuit Hall

In the summer of 1912, the Jesuit Community was preparing to move into their new home at 18^th and Thompson – the building we call today “Jesuit Hall” (see photo).  With its mosaics, brass sconces, and large stained glass windows, the chapel was to be the most spectacular room in the building (photo, ca. 1927).  Great care was taken by our president, Rev. Charles Lyons, S.J., to procure the best pews at the best price.  In the holdings of the Villiger Archives are found bids for the pews from four competing firms, including the winning bid from the American Seating Co. for $633.80 (scan).

The Chapel and her pews, circa 1927.

So what was $633.80 worth in 1912?  For the average workingman, that sum was equal to around seven months’ wages.  And for that amount, the shrewd Fr. Lyons was able to squeeze eighteen pews plus 124 oak chairs out of the American Seating Co.

The American Seating Company: For Churches, Opera, Railroads, and the Prep.

These pews are constructed of ¾” quartersawn oak backs and sides, with 1½” thick elm seats.  Sadly, the oak chairs have long since disappeared, and only eight of the original eighteen pews remain, and can be found on the 2nd floor of Jesuit Hall and in the 3rd floor link.  These pews are the only original furniture left from the opening of the building, the centennial of which we will celebrate next fall.  After a hundred years, some of the pews have fallen into disrepair. 

The cost of Pews in 1912 = $633.80
The satisfaction of getting it right = Priceless

Over the 2011-2012 Christmas break, a generous alumnus paid to have the worst of them repaired.  See the photos of “before” and “after”.  They are not only quite valuable on the antique market, but they are the last remaining physical strands that tie us to the Jesuit Community House - an important chapter in the history of the Prep and the College (SJU). 

If you are interested in a tour of the chapel and the newly renovated Jesuit Hall, or if you would like to sponsor the restoration of one of the century-old pews in the name of a loved one, please get in touch with Bill Conners at wconners@sjprep.org.    

Jack Peranteau – a “Stiles Streeter” We’ll Never Forget!

Jack Peranteau '34 (second from right) crouches into position in the Fall of 1933.

     On the day after Christmas 2011, the Prep lost a great one – John L. “Jack” Peranteau of the Class of 1934.  Jack lived in the neighborhood and was a graduate of the Gesu Elementary School.  Back in the fall of 2009, I had the pleasure of meeting Jack when he drove himself into the Prep to deliver a photograph of the 1933 Catholic League Champion football team (see photos).  We chatted during my lunch period, and he regaled me with stories of the ’33 season – an undefeated team with a scoreless tie against Central High the only blemish on their record (see team schedule). 

From Philadelphia's The Public Ledger

     I was struck by Jack’s good-natured retelling of his role in the game – that after 76 years, he remembered dropping a toss from quarterback Bobby Dougherty – a sure touchdown for the “Stiles Streeters”, as the Prep was known in the newspapers of the day.  Curious, I later consulted the scrapbooks in the Villiger Archives (see scan of article from The Public Ledger).  Sure enough, in the second column of an Inquirer article dated 30 September 1933, I found it … “At the very outset, St. Joseph’s missed a touchdown when a forward pass tossed by Dougherty to Jack Peranteau, who was all alone in the open, slid through the latter’s fingers and fell harmlessly to the ground.”  So there it was in black-and-white … for posterity. 

     Of course, Jack was too humble to mention a few highlights of that storied season – like his play against Roman Catholic on Thanksgiving Day at Shibe Park.  From The Public Ledger, “The speedy wingman (Peranteau), playing well on the defensive, took the occasion to snare half a dozen passes from Dougherty for long gains, while he intercepted several of the (Roman) Catholic aerials, recovered fumbles and also kicked two extra points.” Or the fact that his stellar play earned him the honors of Second Team All Scholastic and First Team All Catholic in 1933. 

     Though that pass slipped through his fingers so many years ago, Jack held a firm grasp on what was important in his life: Mollie and their eight kids, his 26 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, and his dear alma mater that honored his fidelity with the Golden Hawk Award in 2010.

This schedule is from a scrapbook in the Villiger Archives.

This 1933 football roster is also from the Villiger Archives.

A program from the Thanksgiving Game in 1933.

This picture now hangs in display at St. Joseph's Prep's Jesuit Hall.