St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)

St. Augustine's Church is located at 290 Henry Street between Montgomery and Jackson Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.

St. Augustine's Chapel
(2011)
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan) is located in Lower Manhattan
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan) is located in Manhattan
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan) is located in New York City
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan) is located in New York
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan) is located in the United States
St. Augustine's Church (Manhattan)
Location290 Henry St.
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°42′48″N 73°59′2″W
Built1827–1829[1]
ArchitectJohn Heath
Architectural styleGeorgian, Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.80002718[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 6, 1980
Designated NYCLAugust 16, 1966

In 2021, it reported 46 members, average attendance of 22, and $62,280 in plate and pledge income.[3]


History

The church began in 1819 as a mission near the old Grand Street Ferry run by students of the General Theological Seminary. Led by former mayor, Marinus Willett, the mission grew. It was organized as a parish in 1824, and construction began on All Saints' Free Church ("Free" meaning free of pew rent),[4] around 1827. It was built of Manhattan schist.[1] Around this time "Mount Pitt" (also known as Jones Hill), near Pitt and Grand Streets, was being leveled, and some of field stone used was taken from there.[5]

The design – a Georgian structure with Gothic windows[6] – is credited to John Heath, and includes a double pediment and a projecting tower.[1] The church was consecrated in 1828 by Bishop John Henry Hobart. Edgar Allan Poe used to attend on occasion during the church's early years.[5]

This 1934 drawing from the Historic American Buildings Survey shows approximately what the east elevation of the church looked like before it lost its tower.

Traditionally, it is thought that two rough galleries on either side of the organ loft might have been for the use of slaves, despite the church having been built after slaves were emancipated in New York.[7] The building was enlarged in 1848 with the addition of a sanctuary and a chancel.[8]

In 1949, the congregation merged with St. Augustine's Chapel of Trinity Church, then located at 107 East Houston Street, and the new combined congregation used the building on Henry Street.[7] The parish became independent of Trinity in 1976.[1][7]

The building became a New York City landmark in 1966,[1] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

References
  1. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1., p.48
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Explore Parochial Trends". Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  4. Nevius, Michelle & Nevius, James (2009), Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City, New York: Free Press, ISBN 141658997X, pp.62–63
  5. "St. Augustine Episcopal Church", NYC AGO
  6. White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000). AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5., p.92
  7. Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12543-7., p.193
  8. Historical marker on the church. Accessed: 2001-09-03


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