The buildings at Emmanuel are considered works of art in themselves. Several notable American architects have been involved in their design.
The Church was designed by John Notman of Philadelphia. He was a leader in the Gothic Revival movement of the mid 19th Century. It has long been understood that he designed Emmanuel as a copy of a medieval English parish church. It is in the shape of a cross, 121 feet long and 40 feet wide (at the nave), and the steeple is 100 feet high. The Church was built in the manner of the middle ages, with only stone and wood used in the construction.
The Parish House was added in 1901. It was the work of Bruce Price, who had been born in Cumberland and baptized at Emmanuel before moving to New York to make his career as a highly popular architect. Price is most famous for designing most of Tuxedo Park, the playground of the Gilded Age barons, a number of 5th Avenue mansions and the Chateau Frontenac in Montreal. Bruce Price also had a famous student, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Emmanuel House, the Emmanuel’s education and office building, was not built for the Church, but was the private mansion of the James Millholland family (who gave the Adoration of the Shepherds Window). It was constructed in the 1870’s, and it is said that Bruce Price was involved in the design at an early point in his career. It was purchased by Emmanuel in 1960 and restored to its original look in 1987.