St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)

Coordinates: 40°45′26″N 73°58′25″W / 40.75722°N 73.97361°W / 40.75722; -73.97361
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St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, New York
)

St. Bartholomew's Church
and Community House
Byzantine Revival
Websitestbarts.org
NRHP reference No.80002719[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.000091
NYCL No.0275
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 16, 1980
Designated NHLOctober 31, 2016
Designated NYSRHPJune 23, 1980[2]
Designated NYCLMarch 16, 1967

St. Bartholomew's Church, commonly called St. Bart's, is a historic

Episcopal parish founded in January 1835, and located on the east side of Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, in New York City. In 2018, the church celebrated the centennial of its first service in its Park Avenue home.[3]

In 2020, it reported 2,196 members, average attendance of 386, and $2,791,353 in plate and pledge income.

On October 31, 2016, the St. Bartholomew's Church and Community House complex was designated a National Historic Landmark, for its significance as an important example of early 20th-century ecclesiastical architecture designed by Bertram Goodhue.[4]

Former structures

44th Street
, seen c. 1918

The congregation's first location was opened for service in January 1835, in a plain church at the corner of

Lafayette Place
.

The second location, built from 1872 to 1876

William H. Vanderbilt, had sold the site to the church.[5] The magnificent bronze doors, with bas-reliefs in panels depicting episodes from the Old and New Testaments, were carried out by some of New York's established sculptors: Andrew O'Connor, working freely under the general direction of Daniel Chester French,[a] executed the main door; the south door was executed by Herbert Adams, the north door by Philip Martiny
.

Present structure

The current church was erected in 1916–17. The original freely handled and simplified

Byzantine Revival design by Bertram Goodhue was called "a jewel in a monumental setting" by Christine Smith in 1988.[9]
Goodhue modified his design in response to the requirement that the old church portal, beloved by the parishioners, be preserved, with its bronze doors, from the Madison Avenue building and re-erected on the new site.

The foundation stone of Goodhue's original design, a vast, unified barrel-vaulted

Hildreth Meiere, and a marble baptismal font by the Danish follower of Canova, Bertel Thorvaldsen. St. Bartholomew's was completed at a cost of $5.4 million.[6]

The church is known for a wide range of programs. It draws parishioners from all areas of New York City and surroundings. It is the final resting place for actresses Lillian Gish (1893–1993), Dorothy Gish (1898–1968), and their mother Mary Gish (1876–1948).

Landmark status

Saint Bartholomew's Church and Community House was designated a landmark by the

historical preservation. Some of the members of the parish wanted to replace the community house and open terrace with a high-rise commercial structure that would re-capitalize the parish's depleted funds. Following a series of public hearings, the Landmarks Preservation Commission turned down the plans for a high-rise office building. The church unsuccessfully argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Manhattan that the Landmark designation violated their constitutional rights. That decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which eventually resolved the matter in favor of the Landmarks Commission in 1991 by declining to hear the appeal. [13]

In 1992, with the parish's support, the St Bartholomew's Preservation Foundation was established. After a two-year fund drive, restoration of the St. Bartholomew's site began. Leaking roof drains were made watertight, the iconic dome was temporarily secured, and the Great Terrace and 50th Street wall were rebuilt. "Inside Park," the site's popular restaurant, also opened in 1992. In 2012, the wholly independent St. Bartholomew's Conservancy replaced the St. Bartholomew's Preservation Foundation.

The National Historic Landmarks Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board unanimously recommended that the St. Bartholomew's site be designated a National Historic Landmark, citing its importance as an exceptional work of architecture and art. On November 2, 2016, St. Bartholomew's Church and Community House were designated a National Historic Landmark.[13] Restoration of the church's iconic dome was completed in 2017.[14]

Music

One of the church's former choir-directors was the famous

The Today Show and Good Morning America
.

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ O'Connor was a primary assistant of French.
  2. ^ The church makes much use of Guastavino tile for its vaulting.
  3. ^ In Goodhue's former studio at 2 West 47th Street, Christopher Gray noted the discovery of "a photograph of the office's reception room containing a huge model of St. Bartholomew's with a giant spire that was never built."[11]

Citations

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "St. Barts 100 | St. Bart's". stbarts.org. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  4. ^ "Secretary Jewell, Director Jarvis Announce 10 New National Historic Landmarks Illustrating America's Diverse History, Culture". Department of the Interior. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ . (Reprinted by Scholarly Press, 1976; often referred to as WPA Guide to New York City.)
  7. . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "St. Bartholomew's History." Archived April 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine From the church Web site. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  9. OCLC 17652455. (The book discusses Goodhue's use of his sources and the technology of early twentieth-century construction, drawing from parish records and Goodhue's office papers.){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link
    )
  10. ^ To the Glory of God this foundation stone was laid on the first day of May in the Year of our Lord MD CCCC XVII and of the Reformation The Four Hundredth by the Right Reverend David Hummel Greer - Bishop of New York - Sometime Rector of this Parish (Foundation stone)
  11. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  12. .
  13. ^ a b "History - St. Bartholomew's Conservancy". www.stbconservancy.org. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  14. ^ Norfleet, Chris (September 27, 2017). "St. Bart's Dome Restoration". stbarts.org. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  15. ^ "Looking Back Into the Past" (PDF). The Diapason. 47 (2): 22. January 1, 1956.

Further reading

External links