There were but fifteen thousand people in Philadelphia when, on March 19, 1753, the suggestion was made to the vestry of Christ Church that a new church or Chapel of Ease of Christ Church be built for the accommodation of the people in the southern part of the city. Thomas and Richard Penn gave a site for the building of the new church, and on September 21, 1758, the corner stone was laid. In 1761 the church was opened, though it was not completed until March, 1763. To the new organization was given the name St. Peter’s, and it was ordered by the vestry of Christ Church, “ that the said church … in every respect whatever shall be upon an equal footing with Christ Church, and be under the same government with it.”

At the same time, in view of the gift of the site, it was ordered that “the first and best pew in the said Church shall be set apart forever for the accommodation of the Honorable Proprietary’s family.” When the building was completed the building committee reported that the cost was £4,765, 19s. 6d. Added to this report were statements that sound quite modern. “The sudden rise in the prices of materials and labor,” and” the inability of some subscribers to meet their engagements,” had added to the burdens of the committee.