The historic church was built by the city's first Lutheran congregation, which organized in 1837, and was its third house of worship.

The former church building was subsequently operated as a for-profit event venue under the name The Sanctuary on Penn until it was destroyed by a fire on December 24, 2024.

[3][4] For its third church, the Lutheran congregation acquired a lot at the corner of Pennsylvania and Walnut Streets in 1874 for $2,500.

[1][2][4] Its final owners operated the facility, called The Sanctuary on Penn, as a for-profit venue for weddings and other special events.

The first section of the L-shaped, red-brick building was a small, Late Gothic Revival-style chapel dating from 1874 to 1875.

Construction on the second section, a Romanesque Revival-style main sanctuary, began in 1885 and was completed in 1886 on a limestone foundation that was laid in 1874–75.

The renovation also included excavation under the sanctuary and a concrete floor to provide space for classrooms and restrooms on the lower level.

The chapel featured a steep, gable roof of slate and tall, narrow windows with two-story arches.

The south façade facing Walnut Street had tall, stained-glass windows flanking a larger one.

[4] The sanctuary's north and south elevations included four stained-glass windows with rounded arches set in recessed panels.

In addition, the upper-most level on the north and south elevations, near the front façade, each included three, round-arched openings with wooden louvers.

[9] The sanctuary's simple interior included a large stained-glass window on the west wall that depicted Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd.

[6] The facility was last used for a for-profit, private event venue named The Sanctuary on Penn,[7] until the fire on December 24, 2024, destroyed it.