| Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
|---|---|
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 Church of the Heavenly Rest | |
| Location | 1085Fifth Avenue,New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Website | heavenlyrest.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places, 1921 |
| Architect | Mayers, Murray & Phillip |
| Style | Neo-Gothic style |
| Completed | 31 March 1929, Easter Sunday |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of New York |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Matthew Heyd |
| Rector | Rev. Kate Malin |
| Assistant priest | Rev. Robert M. Pennoyer III |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Janet Yieh |
TheChurch of the Heavenly Rest is anEpiscopal church located on the corner ofFifth Avenue and90th Street, oppositeCentral Park and theCarnegie Mansion, on theUpper East Side ofNew York City. The church is noted for the architecture of its building, its location on Museum Mile, its outreach, thrift, music and arts programs, and some of its congregation members.
In 2020, it reported 1,866 members, but no figures for attendance or plate and pledge income.
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The church was founded in 1865 (officially established in 1868) byAmerican Civil War veterans, with the assistance of the Reverend Robert Shaw Howland. It was meant as a memorial to soldiers who had died in the Civil War. By 1900, the church had amassed close to 1000 members. The church was originally located on Fifth Avenue and 45th Street before moving to its present site.[1]
The land for the current site was sold to the church in 1926 byLouise Whitfield Carnegie,Andrew Carnegie's widow. Carnegie purchased the site in 1917 for $1.7 million shortly after a sign was erected reading "for sale without restrictions"; his ownership prevented apartment house development there that would intrude on his mansion's surroundings, but the site remained undeveloped with only a few billboards and a lemonade stand on one of the city's most expensive addresses. Its subsequent sale to the church carried the restrictions that the land could only be used "for a Christian church no higher than 75 feet, exclusive of steeple" through 1975.[2]
Thelimestone church was designed in theneo-Gothic style by the firmMayers, Murray & Phillip, successors toBertram Goodhue. Goodhue died before the first stone was laid. Mayers, Murray & Phillip took over construction.[3] It opened onEaster 1929, seating 1,050, at a cost of $3.2 million. Sculpture was to be executed byMalvina Hoffman,Lee Lawrie, and other artists.[2] The architecture and sculpture combined neo-Gothic styles withArt deco details.[1] However, over two-thirds of the sculptural program was never executed; sculptorJanet Scudder withdrew from a commission in 1928 after it was downsized. TheStock Market Crash of 1929 ended other work, and the blocky limestone facade was retained without sculpture.[4]
Innovative design features included unobstructed views of the altar, indirect lighting and a high-tech sound system.[2] The building was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2021.[5]
The church has a number of choirs, including boys' and girls', a mixed adult choir, and a bell choir. For itspatronal feast, which isAll Saints' Day, the hymns "For All the Saints" and "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" are commonly sung.
The funeral ofChester A. Arthur, formerPresident of the United States, was held at the church in 1886,[6] and the ashes of the actressGloria Swanson were interred there in 1983.[7]
The following have served as Rectors of the Church of the Heavenly Rest:[8]
Two of the Rectors, Herbert Shipman and Matthew Heyd, left the Church of the Heavenly Rest to become Bishop of New York.
The church is featured in a scene in the 1997 filmThe Devil's Advocate starringKeanu Reeves,Charlize Theron andAl Pacino.[9]
Media related toChurch of the Heavenly Rest at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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40°47′01″N73°57′29″W / 40.7837°N 73.958°W /40.7837; -73.958
