St. Leo Church (New York City)
| The Church of St. Leo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Town or city | Manhattan, New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Construction started | 1880[1][2] |
| Completed | c.1881[2] |
| Demolished | 1980s[1] |
| Cost | $95,000.[2] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Masonry |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | .Lawrence J. O'Connor[1][2] |
The Church of St. Leo was a
History
The parish was established in 1880 to relieve the overcrowded
The Delmonico brothers were significant contributors to the construction of the church. Lorenzo Delmonico was buried from St. Leo's in September 1881. Thomas J. McCluskey, future president of Fordham University, served as vice-rector from 1881 to 1887.[4]
The parish was marked by its broad humanitarian spirit. In 1899 Ducey built the "House of Repose for the Stranger Dead", a separate mortuary chapel at 9 East 28th Street for people of any faith who had died while temporarily being in the city, such as hotel guests.[5][6] The bodies could remain there until being claimed for a proper funereal arrangement, or St. Leo's clergy would handle the service without remuneration.[7]
In the early 1900s the neighborhood began to change to one of apartments and hotels. The parish was
Building
The
New York City Police Department Capt. Berghold with 30 policeman kept the 2,000-person street crowd under control, as every seat within the enclosure of the un-roofed church was already occupied.[2]
"The corner-stone bore a legend in Latin which translates as: 'His Eminence
Cardinal McCloskey did not attend the ceremony because of ill-health. The Vicar General officiated, assisted by Rev. McQuirck, assistant priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Rev. Frisbie, rector of St. Francis Xavier's College, the Rev. Salter of St. Joseph's, the Rev. Wyrich of
The church and rectory-turned convent chapel and convent were eventually sold to a private developer and demolished in the 1980s. The site is now occupied by the plaza in front of the Madison Belvedere Apartments.[1][8]
Rev. Thomas J. Ducey (1843-1909)
Thomas James Ducey was born 4 February 1843 in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland and emigrated to the USA with his parents, James and Margaret Walsh Ducey, in 1848.[5] His mother found work as housekeeper for prominent lawyer James T. Brady, elder brother of Judge John R. Brady. Three years later Ducey was orphaned and the attorney took him in. Brady sent the boy to the College of St. Francis Xavier in Chelsea and employed him in his law office.[9] Through Brady, young Ducey became acquainted with many of the city's wealthier Catholics, such as the Delmonicos.[10]
Although Brady considered Ducey better suited to the practice of law, he entered St. Joseph's seminary in Troy, New York in 1864; he was ordained in December 1868.[11] Even after he was ordained, Ducey continued to live at the Brady Mansion on West Twenty-Third Street. Ducey is described as a "flamboyant character with a flair for self-advertisement who combined a taste for high society with progressive views on social reform."[9]
Ducey became assistant at the
During a series of sermons in 1871 and 1872, he denounced the
References
- ^ a b c d e David W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.) p. 221.
- ^ New York Times, August 16, 1880. ("The corner-stone of the new Catholic Church of St. Leo, in Twenty-nine-street, near Madison-avenue, was laid yesterday afternoon with appropriate ceremonies...David J. Leahy, assistant, and Lawrence O'Connor, architect." United States coins of all denominations, a picture of Po a Leo XIII" a large photograph of ...")
- ^ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
- ^ The American Catholic Who's Who, NC News Service, 1911, p. 406
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b "Ducey, Thomas James", The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, J. T. White, 1899, p. 321 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.343.
- ^ a b c d e Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.344.
- ^ J. Russiello, A Sympathetic Planning Hierarchy for Redundant Churches: A Comparison of Continued Use and Reuse in Denmark, England and the United States of America[permanent dead link] (MSc Conservation of Historic Buildings, University of Bath, 2008).
- ^ a b McNamara, Pat. "Corporate Greed Attacked from Pulpit, 1900", McNamara's Blog, Patheos, March 27, 2011
- ^ Clarke, I. Edwards (May 1869). "James T. Brady". The Galaxy. 7 (5).
- ^ "Judge John R. Brady", The Illustrated American, Volume 6, Illustrated American Publishing Company, 1891, p. 399 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Death of James T. Brady-Sketch of His Life and Character" (PDF). The New York Times. 1869. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
