Stephen D. Button came of age during the Greek Revival but he learned to design effectively in Victorian Gothic. Notably however, despite its Victorian detail, the central tower with flanking entrances recalls Georgian churches in its proportions and perhaps expresses Englishness in contrast to the typical paired-tower facade of the German churches of southeast Pennsylvania. Button presumably came to the attention of the congregation for his Presbyterian churches in Philadelphia, his railroad stations for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and his recent county courthouse in neighboring Adams County (
AD8). The exterior is notable for the extent of cast-iron ornament that encrusts the main facade. Button added the Sunday school five years later.