When it was founded in 1733, St. Joseph's was the only place in the English-speaking world where Roman Catholics could celebrate Mass publicly. The story goes that Benjamin Franklin advised Father Greaton to protect the church, since religious bigotry wasn't unknown even in this Quaker city. That's why the building is so unassuming from the street, a fact that didn't save it from damage during the anti-Catholic riots of the 1830s. Such French allies as Lafayette worshiped here. The present interior (1838, and renovated in 1985 to its late-19th-c. appearance) is Greek Revival merging into Victorian, with wooden pews and such unusual colors as mustard and pale yellow. The interior has also preserved a Colonial style unusual in a Catholic Church.