Church of St. Barnabas (Irvington, New York)

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Church of St. Barnabas
Collegiate Gothic
Groundbreaking1852
Completed1853
Specifications
Direction of façadeWest
Height (max)55 feet (17 m)[1]
MaterialsStone, slate, asphalt
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHPMarch 24, 2000
NRHP Reference no.00000241[2]
Website
Church of Saint Barnabas

The Church of St. Barnabas is an

Gothic Revival
structure whose oldest sections date to the mid-19th century, with several expansions undertaken since then. The reputedly haunted[3] church complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[2]

At first the church was a small

Philip Schuyler and Jay Gould
, all of whom lived in the area.

Since its construction it has been expanded several times. Most additions have been either sympathetic to the original architecture or unobtrusive. Its congregation plays a major role in the Irvington community, sponsoring several local programs including the village's only

day care
center.

Buildings and grounds

The church occupies a 2.74-acre (1.11 ha)

Old Croton Aqueduct, a linear National Historic Landmark.[1]

A driveway leads into the property from North Broadway, opening into a large

rectory. All buildings on the property except the garage, and the lychgate, are considered contributing resources to the church's historic character.[1]

To the west of the garage is a small playground, amidst a broader lawn. Tall mature trees shade the buildings and line the edges of the property. The terrain slopes gently west, towards the Hudson River.[1]

Church

The main church building incorporates the original

lancet arched windows have limestone molding and tracery, while the tower and buttresses are trimmed with bluestone coping.[1]

At the center is a 55-foot-tall (17 m) square

crenelated tower with a louvered vent on all four sides between two bluestone courses and flat roof. On its southeast corner is a smaller, round tower with a conical roof. The church's two entrances are located on a side aisle on the north; there is a small chapel at the west end.[1]

Inside the

wainscoting and exposed trusses. It is illuminated by 15 stained glass windows.[1]

An elaborate stone and wood gate with a slate roof and dormer
Lych gate

Like the church, the parish hall wing is a one-and-a-half granite structure with Gothic detail and a gabled roof. However, it is sheathed in asphalt shingles rather than slate. Inside it has a large meeting room with original woodwork.[1]

The modern office wing that connects the parish hall to the church has vertical wood siding, large casement windows and a flat roof. The modern classroom extension to the west of the parish hall has a similar treatment. Both of these elements are sited so as to be unobtrusive from the street.[1]

Rectory and lych gate

South of the church, the rectory is a granite structure with a slate roof. Later additions include a front

clapboard and roofed in asphalt. Its interior retains some of its original woodwork and layout, although it has been remodeled several times. A modern garage, the only non-contributing resource on the property, is adjacent.[1]

The smallest historic resource on the property is the

lych gate. Framing the view of the church from Broadway, it is also a granite and limestone structure with a slate roof and wooden Gothic detail. Atop is a gabled clock and copper finials.[1]

History

St. Barnabas began as a school. The Rev. John McVickar, a friend of early American author Washington Irving, bought the 30 acres (12 ha) where the church is presently located in order to be closer to Irving's estate, Sunnyside, a National Historic Landmark (NHL). The two frequently spent evenings on Irving's veranda watching the sun set across the Hudson, and during their conversations came up with the idea to establish a school and chapel on the property. Irving contributed some of the money while the rest came from descendants of the state's Revolutionary-era notables such as John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and Trinity Church in Manhattan.[1]

McVickar took responsibility for the design. He had studied church architecture since the early years of the 19th century, which had led him to believe that the key aspect of a beautiful church was its proportions rather than its materials. He is said to have based the building on

St. Barnabas Day.[1]

In 1858 it was decided to abandon the school and establish the chapel as a parish within the Episcopal Church, the first in the village, whose residents of that denomination had previously worshipped at Christ Episcopal Church in Tarrytown to the north. McVickar's son William, who had been a missionary to the village and rector of Zion Church in Dobbs Ferry,[5] was appointed the first pastor. His father built a house for him near the church on what is today Irvington's Main Street. The original chapel sufficed for the congregation initially.[1]

But by 1863 it had gotten too small. Renwick & Sands, the firm of

Bronx and also listed on the Register, share similar stonework, steep roofs and arched windows, but little else, with St. Barnabas.[1]

The expansion added the tower,

piazza was reportedly added in 1889. Jay Gould, whose Lyndhurst estate, another NHL, is located north of Sunnyside, donated the remaining land the following year.[1]

A stone building with a gabled roof, dormer windows and a castle-like front entrance
Parish hall

Over time the

Collegiate Gothic style. All were meant to be architecturally consistent with the church.[1]

Another, smaller expansion in 1906 added electric lighting. That year the church hosted a major event, the funeral of Irvington resident, Gen.

Samuel Spencer, president of the Southern Railway.[7]

He had lived in nearby

Joseph Choate and Ogden Mills were also in attendance. The crowd was larger than the church could hold.[7]

Changes to the church continued. In 1924 the parish hall's basement was equipped with a bowling alley and

rifle range,[1] leading to heavy use by the local Boy Scouts and Irvington's police department. The next addition was the Luke Memorial Chapel on the north side of the church, designed by Delano & Aldrich and built in 1945. The office and Sunday school wings, the latter connecting the parish hall to the church, completed the current complex in the 1960s.[1]

Reputed ghosts

There have been claims that the ghosts of some previous occupants haunt the building. One occupant matched a photo of one former member of a 19th-century pastor's family to a woman she frequently saw sitting in a rocking chair, knitting. In 2000, several workers installing a new organ left the church in rush after seeing an apparition in the sanctuary. It was believed by some members of the church to be the ghost of William McVickar.[3]

Beliefs and programs

St. Barnabas is part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It describes itself as "a Christian community that seeks to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves". Baptism is the only requirement for full membership.[8] The current rector, The Rev. Gareth C. Evans, is the 14th to hold the position. Ordained in the Church of England in 1996, he became canonically resident in the Episcopal Church in 2004 and a U.S. citizen in 2016.

The church holds two services every Sunday. The 8AM service is Rite I Holy Eucharist according to the Book Common Prayer. The later service at 10AM is Rite II Holy Eucharist with choir and pipe organ. The summer schedule begins the Sunday after the Patronal Festival of St. Barnabas with one Rite II service of Holy Eucharist at 9AM.

Among its programs are children and youth ministries;[9] The youth group meets monthly; its members go on field trips and play roles in the church's Christmas pageant and on St. Barnabas Day.[10]

The church sponsors, and takes part in, a wide range of community outreach activities. It runs an annual clothing and

food pantries.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Peter D. Shaver (August 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Church of St. Barnabas". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2010-12-24. See also: "Accompanying seven photos". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Seaman, Barrett (October 2, 2011). "Parishioners Embrace Ghosts at Church of St. Barnabas in Irvington". The Hudson Independent. Tarrytown, NY. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  4. ^ "Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church". UNESCO. 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  5. ^ "Parish History". St. Barnabas Church. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-12. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  6. ^ "Gen. Schuyler, Veteran, Sporting and Clubman" (PDF). The New York Times. November 30, 1906. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Gen. Schuyler Buried from Irvington Home" (PDF). The New York Times. December 2, 1906. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  8. ^ "Who We Are". Church of St. Barnabas. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-12. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  9. ^ "Ministries". Church of St. Barnabas. 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  10. ^ "Youth group". Church of St. Barnabas. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-12. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  11. ^ "Outreach". Church of St. Barnabas. 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2011.

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