St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)
St. Michael's Church | |
Romanesque Revival, Renaissance Revival | |
NRHP reference No. | 96001354[1] |
---|---|
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 15, 1996 |
Designated NYCL | April 12, 2016 |
St. Michael's Church is a historic
The church building also is noted for its Tiffany stained glass and its two tracker-action
In addition to traditional
Sale of air rights that enabled the building of The Ariel allowed St. Michael's to finance a major building restoration.[3]
On April 12, 2016, the church, parish house and rectory were designated landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.[4]
In 2021, it reported 568 members, average attendance of 100, and $743,546 in plate and pledge income.[5]
History
Almost uniquely among upper Manhattan's houses of worship, St. Michael's Church has been located on exactly the same site for two centuries.
The first building was a simple white frame structure with a belfry, built for pewholders of
The third and current building, influenced by the
In 1895,
In 1997 St. Michael's Church became a Designated Historical Building on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places.
Its rectory stands at the head of the former St. Michael's Lane: the ghostly presence of St. Michael's Lane may still be traced in mid-block back alleys and service access between apartment buildings for several blocks south of 91st Street.
Architecture
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/St._Michael%27s_Episcopal_Church_-_Tiffany_Windows_Depicting_St._Michael%27s_Victory_in_Heaven_%28middle_3_panes_out_of_7_panes%29.jpg/260px-St._Michael%27s_Episcopal_Church_-_Tiffany_Windows_Depicting_St._Michael%27s_Victory_in_Heaven_%28middle_3_panes_out_of_7_panes%29.jpg)
The church was designed by architect Robert W. Gibson.[9] The square, Romanesque bell tower rises 160 feet.[13]
Organ
A Rudolf von Beckerath organ was installed in 1967.[9]
Impact
For most of its existence, and continuing today, St. Michael's has influenced the physical and social development of New York City. St. Michael's founded at least six New York churches, including All Angels' Church, located first in Seneca Village, in what is now Central Park, and later on West End Avenue. After the Civil War, St. Michael's provided space and financial support for the free Bloomingdale Clinic, District Nurse Association, Day Nursery and Circulating Library.[16]
In the 1980s the congregation had dwindled to thirty, but by 1987 it was up to three hundred,[17] thanks in large part to the energies of Rev. Frederick Hill, who retired in 1992 and died in 1997. St. Michael's is known for its wide range of programs and for its congregation's wide ethnic, socio-economic, and sexual orientation diversity. The church draws people from all areas of New York City and its surroundings.[16]
In 2013, the church had five choirs and more than 100 children involved in the Christian Formation Program. Social ministries included work for the hungry and the homeless, the ill and their caregivers, the unemployed and their dependents. Both church and parish house provide space for extensive parish activities and major not-for-profit community organizations.[16]
Since the early 1990s, St. Michael's has been partnered with St. Michael's, Promosa, in
See also
- Anglican Communion
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
- Complete List of Presiding Bishops
- Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
- St. Michael's Episcopal Church (disambiguation)
- St. Michael's Church (disambiguation)
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Salwen, p.43
- ^ Rasenberger, Jim (June 17, 2007) "High Anxiety" The New York Times
- ^ Danza, Cynthia and Percival, Marianne S. (April 12, 2016) "St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Parish House and Rectory Designation Report" New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
- ^ "Explore Parochial Trends". Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
- ^ Salwen, p.47.
- ^ Quoted in Salwen, pp.47 ff.
- ^ http://mssa.library.yale.edu/obituary_record/1859_1924/1921-22.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b c d e New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists "St. Michael's Church (Episcopal)", The New York City Organ Project. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ "For a Handsome New Church". The New York Times. New York. 1890-09-30. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
- ^ "Some Old Grave-Yards". The New York Times. New York. 1879-05-18. Retrieved 2017-07-01.
- ^ "Architecture", St. Michael's Church, Worshiping & Serving since 1807. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d Gray, Christopher (February 5, 1989) "St. Michael's Episcopal Church; Restoration, and Perhaps A Striking Tiffany-Style Finish", The New York Times
- ISBN 0671249517.
- ^ a b "Tiffany Windows", St. Michael’s Church website. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ a b c Terepka, Jean Ballard “History: St. Michael’s Church: Two Centuries and Onward”, St. Michael’s Church website. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
- ^ Salwen, p.289
- Tanganyika, also in Africa. The parishes of this diocese are expected to assist with these partnerships. See the report about the "Diocese of New York"at the Global Episcopal Mission Network website.
Bibliography
- Salwen, Peter (1989) Upper West Side Story: A History and Guide New York: Abbeville Press. ISBN 1558594299.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)