The house was built by an Arab family in 1890, one of the first homes built outside the Jerusalem old city walls near the Damascus Gate, during the Ottoman Turkish Empire. In 1905 it became part of the American Colony as the home of Bertha Spafford Vester, with her husband and children. Bertha’s father was Horatio Spafford, who is often remembered for the hymn, “It is Well with my Soul.” In 1930, it became the home of Lewis Larrson and his wife. Lewis was an accomplished photographer, and also the honorary Consul General of Sweden, making the home, for a time, the Swedish Consulate. At the end of the British Mandate, as the Green Line was drawn, the JPC stood on the Jordanian side of Arab East Jerusalem until 1967. It was sold a final time in 1969 and became a location of various Christian works…culminating in 2008 with the official dedication of the Jerusalem Prayer Center. The JPC property history and location make it a unique and special place to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!