Church of the Holy Apostles (New York, New York)
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Holy Apostles is an Episcopal
parish located at 296 Ninth Avenue
at 28th Street in the Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
. Its historic church building was built from 1845 to 1848, and was designed by the noted New York architect Minard Lafever
. The geometric stained-glass windows were designed by William Jay Bolton. The building is a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places
.
in 1853-54. In 1858 the congregation needed to expand, so architect Charles Babcock
of the firm of Richard Upjohn & Son
enlarged the building into a cross-shaped sanctuary with the addition of transepts.
The church, the only one that Lafever designed which remains extant in New York City, is also one of the very few there of Italianate design
, although the church has also been described as an early example of Romanesque Revival architecture
. The vestry is in "pure Tusan" style. Lafever's sanctuary was a three-aisled basilica
. The ceiling was vaulted with plaster groins "small in scale but beautiful in proportion." Original Lafever touches in the details include the corbel
s from which the ribs spring.
The church's congregation has always been a socially active one. It is rumored that the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad
during the American Civil War
. In the 1970s, the church was instrumental in the foundation of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
, a synagogue for gays and lesbians begun by Jacob Gubbay. It hosted the congregation until it found a permanent home, and the synagogue's Friday services are stll held at Holy Apostles. In that same decade, Holy Apostles hosted the ordination
of the first woman minster in the New York diocese, Rev. Ellen Barrett. In 1982, the congregation began the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, which continues to serve the indigent of the area.
The sanctuary was badly damaged in 1990 by a fire, in which some of the stained-glass windows were lost, but most survived without serious damage. A restoration began almost immediately, and was completed in 1994 under the supervision of Ed Kamper, without interruption of the social services the church provides.
The Church of the Holy Apostles was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
parish located at 296 Ninth Avenue
Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)
Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs downtown along its full length...
at 28th Street in the Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Its historic church building was built from 1845 to 1848, and was designed by the noted New York architect Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever
Minard Lafever was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.-Life and career:...
. The geometric stained-glass windows were designed by William Jay Bolton. The building is a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
History
The Holy Apostles congregation "was founded in 1844 as the result of an outreach by Trinity Church to immigrants who worked on the Hudson River waterfront to the west of the Church’s location in the Chelsea section of Manhattan", evolving out of a Sunday school. Construction on the sanctuary began in 1845 and continued through 1848, although Lafever enlarged the building by 25 feet by adding a chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in 1853-54. In 1858 the congregation needed to expand, so architect Charles Babcock
Charles Babcock
Charles Babcock was a United States architect, academic, Episcopal priest and founding member of the American Institute of Architects....
of the firm of Richard Upjohn & Son
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
enlarged the building into a cross-shaped sanctuary with the addition of transepts.
The church, the only one that Lafever designed which remains extant in New York City, is also one of the very few there of Italianate design
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, although the church has also been described as an early example of Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
. The vestry is in "pure Tusan" style. Lafever's sanctuary was a three-aisled basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
. The ceiling was vaulted with plaster groins "small in scale but beautiful in proportion." Original Lafever touches in the details include the corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s from which the ribs spring.
The church's congregation has always been a socially active one. It is rumored that the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. In the 1970s, the church was instrumental in the foundation of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah is a Jewish synagogue located in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1973 and describes itself as the world's largest LGBT synagogue. CBST serves Jews of all sexual orientations and gender identities, their families, and their friends. It is led by Senior...
, a synagogue for gays and lesbians begun by Jacob Gubbay. It hosted the congregation until it found a permanent home, and the synagogue's Friday services are stll held at Holy Apostles. In that same decade, Holy Apostles hosted the ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
of the first woman minster in the New York diocese, Rev. Ellen Barrett. In 1982, the congregation began the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, which continues to serve the indigent of the area.
The sanctuary was badly damaged in 1990 by a fire, in which some of the stained-glass windows were lost, but most survived without serious damage. A restoration began almost immediately, and was completed in 1994 under the supervision of Ed Kamper, without interruption of the social services the church provides.
The Church of the Holy Apostles was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.