St. Nicholas Kirche (New York City)
40°43′23″N 73°59′10″W / 40.723°N 73.986°W
St. Nicholas Kirche | |
---|---|
Gothic revival | |
Town or city | Manhattan, New York City |
Country | United States |
Completed | 1867 (for rectory)[1] |
Demolished | c. 1960 (for church) |
Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
St. Nicholas Kirche is a
First church (1833–1848)
Founding
The parish was founded in 1833 by the Austrian priest Father Johann Stephen Raffeiner (1785–1861) as the first and thus oldest German-language Catholic parish in New York City.[2][4][5]
Father Raffeiner was actively engaged in establishing the parish. Back then a large German-speaking colony was located east of the
Permanent structure
As the number of parishioners increased, the issue of finding a permanent structure for the church became more pressing. For this purpose, four lots of ground, with a frontage of one hundred feet and a depth of one hundred and six, on Second street, between Avenue A and First Avenue, were purchased through Dr. Joseph C. Springer, from John Jacob Astor, on September 1, 1834.[6] The cornerstone of this new church, which was dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, was laid, on Easter Monday, April 20, 1835, by the Very Rev. Dr. John Power, V.G., the English sermon being preached to the large concourse assembled by the Rev. Joseph A. Schneller, then of Christ Church, Ann Street,[7] and a discourse in German by Father Raffeiner.[6]
The building was fifty-two by seventy feet and its cost for work and materials $8,174; for fittings $1,384 and for the organ $600. Before it was entirely finished the lease of the hired Baptist meeting house in Delancey Street expired, and the new congregation were for a time accommodated by Father Quarter in the basement of
Later administration
Father Raffeiner was succeeded in 1840 by his assistant, a
The Capuchin Ambrose Buchmeyer took charge, and remained until his death on October 11, 1861. The reminiscences of Father Bonaventure Frey recount how he and his companion, Father Francis, were welcomed in 1855 by Father Buchmeyer and his assistant, Felician Krebesz, and were invited to preach and say Mass at St. Nicholas', before continuing their journey westward.[8]
Second church (1848–1960)
New administration
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/St_Nicholas_Manhattan_NYC_1914.png/220px-St_Nicholas_Manhattan_NYC_1914.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/126_East_2nd_Street.combined.jpg/220px-126_East_2nd_Street.combined.jpg)
The ever-growing number of German-speaking immigrants necessitated a larger church. The second Church of St. Nicholas was built in 1848 in the Gothic Revival style and on December 24 dedicated by Archbishop Hughes. The schoolhouse was built in 1867. On Father Buchmeyer's death he was succeeded by Father Krebesz, also a Capuchin, and upon the death of the latter in 1876, Father Francis J. Shadier became pastor, assisted by Revs. Anthony Lamell and John B. Mayer. In 1879 Father Nicholas Sorg became pastor, and was succeeded by Father Mayer, P.R., in 1888. Rev. John A. Nageleisen took charge in 1908.[8]
During the administration of Father Sorg a number of church societies and confraternities were established, while under Father Mayer the grand sanctuary was built, together with a large house on 1st Street, the rectory on 2nd Street, and a number of improvements made. The trusteeism that threatened to undermine church discipline in matters spiritual and temporal still obtained under Father Mayer. Upon the death of Father Mayer, Archbishop Farley undertook to place the parish under the regime in vogue in the State of New York regarding church property. He selected the men to be placed in charge of the situation, repeatedly attended meetings of the people, listened to the arguments of their speakers, invited the trustees to call on him in the archiepiscopal residence, with the final result that the last vestige of trusteeism vanished in the largest diocese in America.
A special feature of
In 1908 began the normal form of church government in the parish, under its first pastor and rector, Father Nageleisen. Circumstances and the financial depression in the country brought the church to the verge of
Father Nageleisen was born at
Rectory
The former St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church
Later years
In 1914 the number of parishioners was about 600. The church property at that time was valued at $445,000, with $200,000 encumbrance. The basement of the church was used by the
In 1935, The New York Times said the church had "only about fifty parishioners, due to the scarcity of German Catholics in the neighborhood."[11] By mid-century, the continued demographic shift led to the end of church services and closure of the parochial school.[12] The church of St. Nicholas was sold in 1960 and demolished, the plot turned into a parking lot for the adjacent Village View Houses, which opened in 1964.[13]
Organ
The organ dated from about 1881 was by Engelfried & Hadden.[14] It was played by mechanical action with two manuals, 35 stops and 45 ranks. Lynnwood Farnam, noted concert organist of the early 20th century, visited the church on November 27, 1919, and wrote in one of his notebooks that the organ was a fine old piece in very bad condition, located west gallery, had tracker action, and electric blowing.[15][12]
See also
- St. Brigid's Roman Catholic Church, another church in the East Village that was slated for demolition, but through a generous anonymous donation was spared, renovated, and re-consecrated on January 27, 2013.
References
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
- ^ ISBN 0-231-12543-7.
- ^ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
- ^ 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.353.
- ^ ISBN 0300055366.
- ^ a b c d e f g Herbermann, Charles George (June 1916), Historical Records and Studies, vol. IX, New York: United States Catholic Historical Society, pp. 161–175
- ^ "New York City – Christ Church in Ann Street".
- ^ a b c d e f "St. Nicholas". The Catholic Church in the United States of America. Vol. III. New York: The Catholic Editing Company. 1914. pp. 353–354.
- ^ "Centres of Civilization; On the Lower East Side of New York", The New York Times, July 21, 1901. Excerpt: "Everybody who read it must have been struck by a remark of Mr. Hewitt's, made not very long ago, touching the tenement house district, which was considerably commented on in the press. The remark was that it was not only the part of humanity and charity for the more favored to assist the less favored, but that in this particular case, it was not less the part of prudence…..St. Nicholas in Second Street, St. Rose of Lima in Cannon Street, and St. Teresa in Henry Street. There is also a remarkable church, remarkable for the ..."
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Thousands Honor Father Nageleisen; Crowd Forms Outside St. Nicholas Church at Celebration of Priest's Jubilee". The New York Times. May 31, 1935.
- ^ a b "St. Nicholas German Catholic Church". NYC Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. April 17, 2010.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Farnam, Lynnwood. Organ Notebook, p.1220 (specification of Engelfried & Hadden organ). John de Lancie Library, The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; Sally Branca, archivist; courtesy Jonathan Bowen.
Further reading
- Erben Opus List, compiled by Sand Lawn; courtesy David C. Scribner.
- Andenken an das "Goldene Jubiläum," oder Fünfzigjährige Anniversarium der Gründung der St. Nicolaus Kirche an der Zweiten Strasse, New York: "Mutter-Kirche" aller Deutschen Gemeinden in New York und Umgebung, New York: St. Nicholas Church, 1883
External links
Media related to St. Nicholas Kirche (New York City) at Wikimedia Commons