The West Philly church that unknowingly sold its valuable Tiffany windows is now up for court-ordered sale

The hulking West Philadelphia church where a pastor unknowingly sold off rare Tiffany windows for a fraction of their value is headed for a court-ordered sale, as a bank moves to collect on more than $2 million owed by the troubled congregation.

The sale listing for the “one-of-a-kind former religious building” marks the end of a three-year saga in which a massive neighborhood landmark at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue rapidly deteriorated in public view. Its windows boarded up and its walls crumbling, the Gothic Revival building is selling as is for $1.4 million.

Emmanuel Christian Center, a roughly 400-person congregation, purchased the historic church in 2022 with the help of a $1.75 million mortgage, according to deed records. It was a high price to pay for the property, which had an assessed value of $800,000. Previously, the building was the longtime home of the Hickman Temple A.M.E. Church.

The church’s mortgage, from Fulton Bank, required $10,000 monthly payments. The city also determined that certain parts of the building were unsafe and needed immediate repair, requiring additional loans, according to court filings by Fulton Bank.

William Brownlee Sr., the young pastor who founded the church, wanted to renovate the space. The building, constructed in 1901, had seen better days. So Brownlee sold off most of the interior furnishings — the pews, light fixtures, and more than a dozen stained-glass windows — to an architectural salvager for $6,000.

By February 2023, the church had defaulted on its loan payments, according to court filings. Around the same time, the architectural salvager who purchased the furnishings discovered that two of the church’s rose-shaped windows were rare Tiffany glass, crafted in the early 1900s by Tiffany Studios and possibly commissioned by John Wanamaker.

The windows went on to sell at auction for $100,000 each. After The Inquirer reported the story, the church negotiated with the architectural salvager to receive a small percentage of those profits.

Though Brownlee had sold off some of the building’s most historically valuable assets, the property was eventually designated historic, making it harder for an owner to demolish or substantially alter the exterior of a building.

More than a year after the church had stopped paying back its loan, Brownlee posted a video on Instagram introducing the “New Emmanuel Christian Center,” promising new energy and a new building at 50th and Baltimore. Brownlee did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Brownlee originally said he planned to fully remake the church building as a community hub. He said he aimed to build a recreation center in one of the former chapels, establish a charter school in the basement, and host services for 1,000 congregants in the main sanctuary.

That never happened. Over the last two years, the building fell into serious disrepair.

There was a “severe pigeon infestation” in the towers and, the court filings by Fulton Bank say, asbestos and mold as well. The property racked up violations for allowing trash to accumulate outside, not having its fire alarm system tested, and being an unsecured vacant building, according to the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. The church lost its insurance coverage in April 2024 after failing to pay premiums, the court filings say.

Despite the many problems in the building and despite being told to stop, the church “continues to operate and conduct services and events at the property,” a Common Pleas Court judge noted. In December, the court appointed a receiver to take over the property and to sell it in order to repay Fulton Bank — which asserts the church now owes more than $2 million, including unpaid interest, emergency repair work, and insurance advances covered by the financial institution.

The listing describes a “grand 3-story structure” that “presents a unique investment with the potential for adaptive reuse.”

Amy Lambert, president of the University City Historical Society, said the historic designation will protect the building.

“It doesn’t have to go anywhere. It can be revitalized easily,” Lambert said. “It’s not for every buyer, obviously. But it’s an absolute landmark in that neighborhood.”