| St. Bartholomew's Church | |
|---|---|
| St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church | |
 | |
 St. Bartholomew's Church | |
| Location | 50th Street and Manhattan,New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Website | stbarts |
| History | |
| Founded | 1835; 190 years ago (1835) |
| Dedication | St. Bartholomew |
| Consecrated | May 1, 1923 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Bertram GoodhueMcKim, Mead & White |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival,Byzantine Revival |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Construction cost | $5,400,000.00 (equivalent to $101,642,629 in 2024) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province II |
| Diocese | New York |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Matthew Heyd |
| Vicar | Peter Thompson |
| Assistant priests |
|
St. Bartholomew's Church and Community House | |
    | |
| Location | 109 E. 50th St. Manhattan,New York City |
| Coordinates | 40°45′26″N73°58′25″W / 40.75722°N 73.97361°W /40.75722; -73.97361 |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1903 (1903) |
| Architect | Bertram Goodhue McKim, Mead & White |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival,Byzantine Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002719[1] |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.000091 |
| NYCL No. | 0275 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1980 |
| Designated NHL | October 31, 2016 |
| Designated NYSRHP | June 23, 1980[2] |
| Designated NYCL | March 16, 1967 |
St. Bartholomew's Church, commonly known asSt. Bart's, is a historicEpiscopalparish founded in January 1835, and located on the east side ofPark Avenue between 50th and51st Street inMidtown Manhattan, inNew 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 aNational Historic Landmark, for its significance as an important example of early 20th-century ecclesiastical architecture designed byBertram Goodhue.[4]
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The congregation's first location was opened for service in January 1835, in a plain church at the corner ofGreat Jones Street and fashionableLafayette Place.
The second location, built from 1872 to 1876[5] at the southwest corner ofMadison Avenue andEast 44th Street,[6][7] was designed byJames Renwick, the architect ofSt. Patrick's Cathedral, in theLombardic style.[5] The building was embellished in 1902–1903 with a tripleFrench Romanesque Revival portal byStanford White,[8] who took as his inspiration the church ofSaint-Gilles, Gard, betweenArles andNîmes, which White had admired in 1878; the sculptures in thetympana are Renaissance-inspired. The portal was paid for by the family ofCornelius Vanderbilt II as a memorial; Vanderbilt's father,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 ofDaniel Chester French,[a] executed the main door; the south door was executed byHerbert Adams, the north door byPhilip Martiny.
The current church was erected in 1916–17. The original freely handled and simplifiedByzantine Revival design byBertram 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[b] space, without side aisles or chapels and with severely reduced transepts, was laid May 1, 1917[10] and the construction was sufficiently far along for the church to be consecrated in 1918; its design was altered during construction, after Goodhue's sudden, unexpected death in 1924, by his office associates, in partnership as Mayers, Murray and Philips; they were engaged in erecting the community house, continuing with the same materials, subtly variegated salmon and cream-colored bricks and creamy Indiana limestone; they designed the terrace that still provides the equivalent of a small square, surrounded by the cliff-like facades of Midtown commercial structures; in summer, supplied with umbrellas and tables, it becomes the outside dining area for the restaurant,Inside Park. They also inserted the "much discussed"[6] dome, tile-patterned on the exterior and with a polychromeHispano-Moresque interior dome, which substituted for the spire that had been planned but never built.[c] Completed in 1930, the church containsstained-glass windows andmosaics byHildreth Meiere, and a marblebaptismal font by the Danish follower ofCanova,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 actressesLillian Gish (1893–1993),Dorothy Gish (1898–1968), and their motherMary Gish (1876–1948).
Saint Bartholomew's Church and Community House was designated a landmark by theNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967,[12] a move opposed at the time by the rector and vestry. Beginning in 1981, St. Bartholomew's found itself the subject of a much-publicized case concerningair rights in the highly-competitive New York real estate market clashing withhistorical 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 theUnited 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 aNational 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]
One of the church's former choir-directors was the famousconductorLeopold Stokowski, who was brought from the United Kingdom by St. Bart's; he was followed by the organist-choirmaster David McKinley Williams. St. Bartholomew's is noted for itsSkinner Organ Companypipe organ, the largest in New York and among the largest in the world. It was dedicated in a concert December 9, 1930, in a concert given by Williams.[15] Another of the church's music directors wasHarold Friedell, the well-known composer andJuilliard educator. The church's renownedchoir has maintained its distinction under the direction of conductors such as organist-music director Jack Ossewaarde, William Trafka andJames Litton. TheChorister Program has also had success in bringing together children ages 6–18 to sing in the church, and has been featured on shows such asThe Today Show andGood Morning America.
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