Though the architect is unknown, this building's great subtlety and handsome strength make it noteworthy and distinctive in a town where Colonial Revival predominates. The brick patterning around the doorway is reminiscent of the Richardsonian Romanesque handling of the brick on Longfellow, Alden and Harlow's “Sunnyledge” in Pittsburgh (
AL115). Clever detailing includes a slight projection of the entrance and its flanking windows, which are set off by brick dentils above and highlighted by a dentiled cornice just below the second-story windows. A circular window above the doorway highlights the great sweep of the three-brick-deep, arched door surround. The second story appears to taper slightly, causing the windows to disappear under the eaves, where their columned pilasters give them a slim, elongated appearance. Deeply overhanging eaves are lined with brackets. Although this building dates from 1903, the Meadville Theological Seminary was founded in 1844 by Harm Jan Huidekoper to spread Unitarianism to the west. The seminary affiliated with the University of Chicago and moved to that campus in 1926. Offices now occupy the building.