Do not let appearances deceive you.

On the 200 block of Fairmount Avenue in Northern Liberties sits an unimposing, nondescript day care center one might understandably dismiss. It is, however, one of the most historically rich buildings still standing in the city today.

A writeup on Hidden City describes the history of the building. After the Revolutionary War, landowner William Coates donated a block of land to Dr. Ashebel Green and Dr. Janeway, pastors of the Second Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. After having raised sufficient funds, Green and Janeway opened to the public the doors of what would later become known as the First Presbyterian Church of the Northern Liberties.

The church, however, was not able to survive for long. Due to a financially crippling renovation project and a paradoxically burgeoning number of followers, First Presbyterian moved out of the property and relocated elsewhere in Northern Liberties to better accommodate its growing congregation and resolve its mounting fiscal complications.

The building has since functioned (among myriad other uses) as a performing arts theater, an auction house, a dance academy and a lecture hall. Early in the twentieth century, the establishment also served as home of the Associated Polish Home of Philadelphia, an organization that sought to better unite the members of the Polish community.

Robert and Marian Betty, who have owned the establishment since 1995, regularly rent the space out to local businesses and organizations. Pieces of the Puzzle Learning Center Inc. has been the chief leaseholder for the past four years.