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St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's Episcopal Church is located at North Hamilton and Mansion streets on the west side of Mansion Square in Poughkeepsie
, New York, United States. It is a stone church in the Norman
-Gothic Revival styles
built in the late 19th century.
Designed by New York City architect Emlen Littell, it has had additions and renovations by other well-known architects, such as Frederick Clarke Withers
and Richard Upjohn
. The interior treatment was done by Tiffany & Co.
in the early 20th century. In 1982 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
wide on the south (front) facade
, faced in rough-cut stone. A three-and-a-half-story high tower topped with a broach spire rises from the southeast corner. The side elevations have stained glass
clerestory
windows.
At the main entrance, heavy wooden doors hang on strap hinges inside a small projecting portico
. Inside, much of the original interior remains, including woodwork, furniture, doors and hardware.
and vestry
. Two years later, they built a Greek Revival
church, partially funded by Manhattan's Trinity Church
on the site of the present one.
The Panic of 1837
and the ensuing lean economic times strained the church's finances enough that it seriously considered closing in 1842. It did not, and in 1846 hired Dr. Albert Traver, a rector who pioneered in diversity
and multiculturalism by accepting the job only if he could continue his work ministering to German immigrants
in the Town of Clinton
nearby, in rural northern Dutchess County
, one Sunday a month.
By 1870 the congregation's growth had been such that they decided a bigger building was needed, and hired New York City
architect Emlen Littell to design a new building. He obliged with a Norman
-Gothic Revival structure to be built of native stone. William Harlow, a former mayor of the city who would later build Harlow Row
downtown, was hired as the builder. It was completed and consecrated
three years later. At that time it was a smaller building, lacking the current south transept
, narthex
and bell tower
.
In 1882 Frederick Clarke Withers
was hired to design a Tudor Revival church school building on adjacent property. The adjacent Parish House property was added the same year. Ten years later the south transept and gallery were added, based on designs by Richard Upjohn
, who had died 14 years earlier.
During the first decade of the new century the congregation turned its attention to the interior. In 1906 it accepted a $1,850 ($ in contemporary dollars) bid from Tiffany & Co.
to refurbish the sanctuary
. Five years later, in 1911, this was completed, with a new lectern
, pulpit
, credence table
and church doors added, as well as electric lighting.
The church's growth continued through the 20th century, and in 1956 a building committee considered what to do about the increasing need for more church school space. A new education building was constructed, and Withers' 1882 building was demolished in the early 1960s. Community programs, including a soup kitchen
, use the new building today.
In the 1960s, the church began to lose members as congregants moved from the city out to the suburb
s. A new rector, The Rev. Robert Leather, reached out to the communities that remained in the city's poorer northern neighborhoods by allowing programs like Alcoholics
and Narcotics Anonymous
to use the church's space, and continuing the soup kitchen, now known as the Lunch Box. A congregant established a thrift shop in the church's undercroft in 1979 to pay for maintenance of the parking lot
. It continues to operate today under the name Small Blessings.
A 2003 fire
slightly damaged the church. It has since been repaired.
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
, New York, United States. It is a stone church in the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
-Gothic Revival styles
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
built in the late 19th century.
Designed by New York City architect Emlen Littell, it has had additions and renovations by other well-known architects, such as Frederick Clarke Withers
Frederick Clarke Withers
Frederick Clarke Withers was an successful English architect in America, especially renowned for his Gothic Revival church designs.-Biography:...
and Richard Upjohn
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...
. The interior treatment was done by Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
in the early 20th century. In 1982 it 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...
.
Building
The church building is a one-and-a-half-story structure, three baysBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
wide on the south (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, faced in rough-cut stone. A three-and-a-half-story high tower topped with a broach spire rises from the southeast corner. The side elevations have stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
windows.
At the main entrance, heavy wooden doors hang on strap hinges inside a small projecting portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
. Inside, much of the original interior remains, including woodwork, furniture, doors and hardware.
History
St. Paul's was organized by a group of local businessmen who first met in September 1835 and elected wardensChurchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. Two years later, they built a Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
church, partially funded by Manhattan's Trinity Church
Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church at 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
on the site of the present one.
The Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
and the ensuing lean economic times strained the church's finances enough that it seriously considered closing in 1842. It did not, and in 1846 hired Dr. Albert Traver, a rector who pioneered in diversity
Diversity (politics)
In the political arena, the term diversity is used to describe political entities with members who have identifiable differences in their backgrounds or lifestyles....
and multiculturalism by accepting the job only if he could continue his work ministering to German immigrants
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
in the Town of Clinton
Clinton, Dutchess County, New York
Clinton is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,010 at the 2000 census. The town is named after George Clinton, an early governor of New York....
nearby, in rural northern Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
, one Sunday a month.
By 1870 the congregation's growth had been such that they decided a bigger building was needed, and hired 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...
architect Emlen Littell to design a new building. He obliged with a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
-Gothic Revival structure to be built of native stone. William Harlow, a former mayor of the city who would later build Harlow Row
Harlow Row
Harlow Row, also called Brick Row, is a group of brick townhouses in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. While their address is given as 100-106 Market Street, they are actually located on a short side street referred to as Little Market Street, across from a small park with the Soldier's and...
downtown, was hired as the builder. It was completed and consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
three years later. At that time it was a smaller building, lacking the current south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
and bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
.
In 1882 Frederick Clarke Withers
Frederick Clarke Withers
Frederick Clarke Withers was an successful English architect in America, especially renowned for his Gothic Revival church designs.-Biography:...
was hired to design a Tudor Revival church school building on adjacent property. The adjacent Parish House property was added the same year. Ten years later the south transept and gallery were added, based on designs by Richard Upjohn
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...
, who had died 14 years earlier.
During the first decade of the new century the congregation turned its attention to the interior. In 1906 it accepted a $1,850 ($ in contemporary dollars) bid from Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co. is an American jewelry and silverware company. As part of its branding, the company is strongly associated with its Tiffany Blue , which is a registered trademark.- History :...
to refurbish the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. Five years later, in 1911, this was completed, with a new lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
, pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, credence table
Credence table
A Credence table is a small side table in the sanctuary of a Christian church which is used in the celebration of the Eucharist. Etymology: from latin credens, -entis, believer)....
and church doors added, as well as electric lighting.
The church's growth continued through the 20th century, and in 1956 a building committee considered what to do about the increasing need for more church school space. A new education building was constructed, and Withers' 1882 building was demolished in the early 1960s. Community programs, including a soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
, use the new building today.
In the 1960s, the church began to lose members as congregants moved from the city out to the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. A new rector, The Rev. Robert Leather, reached out to the communities that remained in the city's poorer northern neighborhoods by allowing programs like Alcoholics
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
and Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem," and it is the second-largest 12-step organization...
to use the church's space, and continuing the soup kitchen, now known as the Lunch Box. A congregant established a thrift shop in the church's undercroft in 1979 to pay for maintenance of the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
. It continues to operate today under the name Small Blessings.
A 2003 fire
Structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various residential buildings ranging from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments and tower blocks, or various commercial buildings ranging from offices to shopping malls...
slightly damaged the church. It has since been repaired.