| Church of Saint Agnes | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of Church of Saint Agnes | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival (1877 church)[1] Baroque Revival (1998 rebuild)[2] |
| Location | New York City,United States |
| Construction started | 1873 |
| Completed | 1877 (church) 1904 (sacristy and rectory) 1998 (rebuild) |
| Demolished | December 10, 1992 (fire) |
| Cost | $31,000 (sacristy and rectory) $8,000,000 (demolition and rebuild) |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Masonry |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Lawrence J. O'Connor (1877 church) Jeremiah O'Rourke & Sons (1904 sacristy and rectory) Acheson, Thornton, Doyle (1998 rebuild) |
| Website | |
| Church of St. Agnes, Manhattan | |
TheChurch of St. Agnes is a parish church in theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 143 East 43rd Street,Manhattan,New York City.[3] The parish was established in 1873.[4]
The parish was intended to serve Italian laborers of the newGrand Central Depot.[1][2] Rev. Harry Cummings Macdowell, nephew of Rev.Jeremiah Williams Cummings ofSt. Stephen's, was the first pastor, assisted by Rev. A. Catoggio. The parish was organized on July 13, 1873. Macdowell had rented a hall over Croton Market on 42nd Street as a temporary chapel and passed out handbills to announce the fact to the local Catholic residents.[5]
A Sunday school was begun on 43rd Street. The parish school, located at 152 East 44th Street, was organized in 1893.
In 1939,St. Gabriel Church on East 37th Street was closed to make way for theQueens–Midtown Tunnel, and part of the congregation was directed to St. Agnes.[6][7]
The church hosted ArchbishopFulton J. Sheen's radio and television broadcasts on behalf of theSociety for the Propagation of the Faith for over half a century. The broadcasts, including the famous "Death of Stalin," were some of the most important influences in reshaping mainstream twentieth-century American attitudes on Catholicism.[1] Other notable clergy have included BishopJohn J. O'Hara,[8] MonsignorJohn P. Chidwick, MonsignorEugene V. Clark, and FatherGeorge W. Rutler.[9] As an important venue for media, and with its proximity to the center of New York City, the church often played host to rallies, such as the starting point forJohn Cardinal O'Connor's anti-abortion march from this church.[1]
The church was built during 1873–1877 to the designs ofLawrence J. O'Connor.[1][2] Builders were Moran and Armstrong and Michael J. Newman. The basement was completed and used as a chapel, which was dedicated byJohn Cardinal McCloskey on January 11, 1874. A Celtic cross crowned the gable. The sanctuary contained a chancel window depicting St. Agnes. The completed church was dedicated by Cardinal McCloskey on May 6, 1877.[5]
The parish constructed a four-story brick and stone rectory and sacristy in 1904 to designs byJeremiah O'Rourke & Sons ofNewark, New Jersey, for $31,000 ($1,100,000 in current dollars).[10]
The church has suffered two fires. The first, which badly damaged it but left the towers standing, occurred on December 24, 1898. The following February, plans were filed to rebuild it and add a semi-octagonal chancel to the rear, at the expected total cost of $40,000 ($1,500,000 in current dollars).[11] The second fire, on December 10, 1992, left only the outside walls and the towers standing,[12] costing $2 million for demolition ($4.5 million current) and $6 million for the new building ($13.4 million current).[9] The church was rebuilt to designs by the firm Acheson, Thornton, Doyle, and opened in 1998. The new church was modeled after theChurch of the Gesù in Rome, but with the original towers from O'Connor's church flanking the new building.[1][2][13]
The altartriptych in the rebuilt church was painted bySean Delonas.[14]St. Agnes Boys High School, located behind the church on East 44th Street, relocated to theUpper West Side until closing in 2013.[15]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)40°45′6.57″N73°58′28.08″W / 40.7518250°N 73.9744667°W /40.7518250; -73.9744667
