Lifelong North Philadelphia resident Tyler Ray (BS '22) is determined to use his Community Development degree and certificate in Historic Preservation to uphold one of his neighborhood's most beloved structures, the Church of the Advocate. Ray tells Temple Now that his family have been lifelong members and the church is what initially "nurtured his love of architecture and passion for preservation." 

Located at 18th and Diamond Streets, the Church of the Advocate was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. It's a prominent example of French Gothic Revival architecture, and one of the most notable examples in the United States. Ray recalls how the structure has been in disrepair for as long as he can remember, which he attributes to inequity between predominately white and Black neighborhoods. That reality pushed him to attend Temple and encouraged him to solve problems that hit close to home.

Read Ray's interview with Temple Now here.

Photography by Joseph V. Labolito