Benjamin D. Price

Benjamin Detwiler Price (September 3, 1845 - September 19, 1922) was an architect known principally for his catalogue sales of plans for churches. He reportedly sold over 6,000 copies of his church plans, and several of the churches he designed are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.

Architectural practice Born in North Coventry, Pennsylvania, he established his architectural practice at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the 1870s, he began marketing plans for churches through the mail. In 1876, Price began working with the Methodist Episcopal Board of Church Extension and prepared 67 church plans for them. The Methodist Episcopal Church Board sold copies of Price's plans by mail for prices ranging from two to fifty dollars. By 1885, the Board had sold 1,975 copies of Price's plans. In 1889, Price reacquired the rights to his designs from the Board. In the 1892 edition of "Church Plans," Price wrote that he had sold 600 copies of his plans in 1891 and that a total of 5,350 plans had been sold through December 31, 1891. He claimed to have sold more than 6,000 copies of his plans between 1876 and 1907. A number of editions of his book "Church Plans" were published from 1885 to 1906. By 1920, he had moved to Punta Gorda, Florida. In 1922, Price died in Punta Gorda, Florida.

Works

A number of Price's works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. His works include: Changewater Methodist Episcopal Church (1900), Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey Darby Free Library (1872) in Darby, Pennsylvania First Christian Church (1911), North Main Street, Nashville, Arkansas (Price, Benjamin D.; Price, Max Charles), NRHP-listed Methodist church, Groveville, New Jersey Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church (1899), 9449 Harrison Street, Greenville, Indiana (Price, Benjamin D.), NRHP-listed Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church (1881), Millville, New Jersey (probably based on plans #6 and 6b in the 1906 edition of "Church Plans") Wanakena Presbyterian Church, 32 Second Street, Wanakena, New York (Price, Benjamin D.), NRHP-listed