40°44′30″N73°59′15″W / 40.74155°N 73.987519°W /40.74155; -73.987519
| Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1854-1906) | |
|---|---|
_crop.jpg) c.1903 | |
 Interactive map of Madison Square Presbyterian Church (1854-1906) | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival architecture |
| Location | New York City,United States |
| Construction started | 1853 |
| Completed | 1854 |
| Demolished | 1909 |
| Cost | ? |
| Client | Presbyterian Church in the United States of America |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | masonry |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Richard M. Upjohn |
Madison Square Presbyterian Church was aPresbyterian church inManhattan,New York City, located onMadison Square Park at the southeast corner ofEast 24th Street andMadison Avenue. Construction on the church began in 1853 and was completed in 1854.[1] It was designed byRichard M. Upjohn, the son of noted architectRichard Upjohn, in theGothic Revival architectural style. The congregation's original building was acquired by theMetropolitan Life Insurance Company and was demolished in 1909 to make way for the 48-storyMetropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower. In exchange, the church received a 75 feet (23 m) by 150 feet (46 m) plot of land across 24th Street that became the site forStanford White'sMadison Square Presbyterian Church.
The congregation had been founded in 1853 byWilliam Adams, who served as the church's pastor until 1873, when he left to take the position as president of theUnion Theological Seminary in the City of New York.[2] Funeral services for Adams were held at the church on September 3, 1880, in what was described as "a fitting tribute to a man who was recognized as the most eminent Presbyterian minister in America". His coffin was carried into the sanctuary by eight students from the Union Theological Seminary.[3]
The cornerstone for the church was laid in ceremonies held on July 12, 1853, led by Rev. Adams.[4]Edward Huntting Rudd was baptized there and later served as assistant pastor.[5][6][7]
Reports had reached the leaders of the congregation in the 1890s that Metropolitan Life was interested in acquiring the site of the church so that it could consolidate its operations in the block bounded by23rd Street, 24th Street, Madison Avenue andPark Avenue South (then known as Fourth Avenue). The elders of the church agreed that they did not want to move the congregation further uptown, but would be willing to sell the site if an appropriate location could be found near the existing church. As the years progressed, the church was increasingly affected by the construction of new office space by Metropolitan Life and became more willing to reach a compromise with their corporate neighbor. Representatives of Metropolitan Life contacted the church in May 1902 with an offer to make a lot across 24th Street, on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue, as a replacement for the original site, and an agreement was reached with the insurer later that year in which the company paid the church $325,000 that would be used towards the construction of a new church.[2] Once the new church was completed the old building was demolished and became the site of theMetropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, a 48-story building completed in 1909,[8] which was the world's tallest building for three years, until 1913, when it was surpassed by theWoolworth Building.[9]
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