East Village, 14th Street Between First Avenue and Avenue A

Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………….…………...........… ………………….. click to enlarge

This church began life in 1896 as Grace Chapel and Hospital, an Episcopal mission for Grace Church in the West Village.  In 1943,it became the Immaculate Conception Church, a Catholic church.  Do you know what Immaculate Conception refers to?  Wrong!  It's not the Virgin birth.  It's that Mary was born without original sin.  If anyone desires to see a baptism in this very church, you can find one right here.

Midtown, Lexington Avenue at 56th Street

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Here you are, walking in midtown, seeing the everyday sights and suddenly you glance downtown and there's.a scene from a Russian fairy tale.  Actually it's  a synagogue.  Central Synagogue.  I was surprised.  From the front, it's not so exotic; it's impressive, but not surprising.  Go here, to learn everything there is to know about Central Synagogue.

Chelsea, 16th Street Between Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2010 …………… ………………….. click to enlarge

This is the French Evangelical Church, or the Eglise Evangelique Francaise de New York, as the sign states.  I could find nothing about it on the web except the address.  It has no web site.  The sign is written entirely in French.  I have questions.  How big is the congregation?  Are they all French?  Do they have services in English as well as French?  A phone number is listed so I could call and ask.  But that would be tomorrow, and tomorrow I will be considering the block between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

So tonight we will instead consider the architectural style Rundbogenstil.  The AIA tells us the facade was done in 1886 and that this building is a "robust example of what the Germans called Rundbogenstil.  The dour dark paint almost kills it."  Yes, doesn't it?  Imagine this building painted creamy ivory and without the sign (an ugly sign insensitively placed).  Wouldn't it be pretty?  By the way, do you know how to pronounce dour?  It's door, not dow-er.  Hard to believe, isn't it?

So Rundbogenstil.  A German style meaning round arch style, part of the Romanesque revival, and created in the 19th century by German architects seeking a national style of architecture.  Go to New York Architecture to see other New York buildings in this style.

Flatiron District, 16th Street Between Fifth and Sixth Avenues

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This is The Church of St. Francis Xavier, built in 1887, and described in the AIA as neo-Baroque and monumental.  Unfortunately, you don't get a sense of its monumentality from this photograph, which kind of flattens it.  It was monumental.  Christopher Gray wrote a column on it in 2005 when it was being renovated.



Mary Sargent © 2010 ………………………….. click to enlarge


And here is the interior. 

Hell's Kitchen, 34th Street Between Eighth and Ninth Avenues

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An awfully pretty synagogue here on 34th Street.  It is the West Side Jewish Center.  I couldn't find out when it was built.  Its official site (above link) doesn't seem to know and Wikipedia's article is very short and fragmented.  Anyone?

But do go to Wikipedia to see its photograph of the synagogue from 2007, showing a huge movie poster for Angels and Demons on the side of the building.  Amusing, since the Vatican described the movie as "an offence against God."  Well, amusing to me, anyway.  The congregation was also okay with it and appreciated the extra income.

Looking at this photograph, it appears that the buildings next to it would cover the view of the side of the synagogue, but I have a wider view of it which shows that they are, in fact, back of the side of the building.  Believe it or not.  And you'll have to leave it there because I'm not going to drag that photo out and edit it and post it and copy it.  I know it's not that late, but I'm reforming.  Trying to.
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3/21/10 - Rita kindly points out that Emporis tells us the Center was constructed in 1924.  Thank you!

Upper West Side, 84th Street Between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… ………………….. click to enlarge

This, my friends, is a church, the Church of St Matthew and St Timothy.  Now, why would anyone make a church look like this?  Because it was built in the 60s is why.  For some reason, architechture was just butt ugly in the 60s, without meaning to be.  Lincoln Center is maybe the saddest example of the architecture of this misguided decade.  We spent a lot of money to make this big impressive art center and ended up with a bunch of godawfullooking buildings that make you cringe to enter them.  Hard to explain. 

Upper West Side, 83rd Street Between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West

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So I was walking along this typical Upper West Side side street with its brownstones and small apartment buildings when up ahead loomed this majestic, smooth, white, very large edifice.  It is the synagogue of the Congregation Rodeph Sholom, a Reform congregation.  You probably know that Reform Jews are the most liberal religious Jews, but maybe you'd like to know more exactly the differences between Reform, Orthodox and Conservative. Fortunately, there's Judaism 101 to help us out.  Or for a more succinct statement on Reform Judaism click here.

This congregation formed in 1842 on the Lower East Side, then moved to Lexington and 63rd Street in 1891, and finally to this location in 1930.  The building was designed by "renowned architect" Charles B. Meyers, although if he's not to be found in Wikipedia, how renowned could he be?

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 186th Street

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Another block, another church.  This one is the Fort George Presbyterian Church, and it, too, does not have a presence on the web.  Except on myspace.  Yes!  Where it exists as a 92 year old female.

As you can see, it's getting dark.  That stop in the bakery cost me some daylight.  Oh, but thank god, the days are getting longer.

See map.

Washington Heights, St. Nicholas Avenue at 187th Street

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This is across the street from the Grullon Bakery.  I just had to do a close up of the pretty little church.




Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………….. click to enlarge

It is Saints Anargyroi Greek Orthodox Church.  I couldn't find anything about the church itself, so I investigated the saints.  There were two of them, twins, it seems.  They lived long, long ago, but somehow got themselves on Facebook.  This is one of your minor miracles, I guess.

Greenwich Village, 14th Street Between Ninth and Eighth Avenues

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Last Post until December 29.  I'm off to Michigan where they know how to do snow.




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………………………………….. click to enlarge

So you could make a case for this being a Christmas photo, right?  Especially if you're religious.  There's even a star up in the left which you can see if you enlarge the photo.

This church used to be St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church, but in 2003, it was merged with Our Lady of Guadalupe from the next block over, and is now called Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard's.  St. Bernard's had lost members and had lots of space and Our Lady had many members and not enough space.

I understand you should come here on Sundays if you're into tacos.  This from a guy who knows his tacos, so he claims.  Just because his name is Tizoc Schwartz doesn't mean he doesn't know his tacos.

See map.

Chinatown, Mott Street at Mosco Street

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The Transfiguration Church was built in 1801 and has been a church for immigrants, first Irish, then Italians and finally Chinese until now it is the largest Chinese Catholic church in the country. Services are conducted in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. This New York Times story from 2007 has some background.

Do you notice those two little blemishes by the tops of the windows? By magnifying the photo I was able to see that they are strung on a wire that's running across the street. One looks like a tiny sock. I didn't notice them at the time. Just something I thought you should know.

See map.

Chinatown, Mulberry Street at Worth Street; Worth Street Between Mulberry and Mott Streets

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Now I've walked back down Mulberry Street and here at the end of the block is the True Light Lutheran Church. Their website is worth a look, as they have a history time line with links to old photographs. They began life in 1935 as True Light Mission with rented space on Canal Street. If you are unclear about what a mission is exactly, this link should clear it up. Basically, it's size. Before you have enough of a congregation to support your own church and pastor, you're a mission. So that's why we think of converting people when we think of missionaries. They're trying to get a church together.






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They must have succeeded because in 1949, they're building the church we see here. The New York Times had notice of this event with a drawing of the proposed church. It's grander than the actual built church and has a pagoda-like topping of the tower. Too bad.  This looks pretty clunky.

There are two services every Sunday, one in English and one in Chinese.



See map.

Upper East Side, 71st Street Between Second and First Avenues

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Such a modest church for such a weighty history.





Mary Sargent © 2009 …………….. click to enlarge


And here we have Cilantro, a modest restaurant.

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Upper East Side, Madison Avenue at 71st Street

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In 1991, Christopher Gray (there's that name again) wrote a Streetscapes article about St. James' Church titled "A Metamorphis Still in Progress," in which he recounts the six or so major changes the church has undergone since it was built in 1885. Among them are switching the front and back interiors and trying to get the steeple right; the one you see here is the third attempt and is "widely considered a failure."



See map.

Hudson Heights, Fort Washington Avenue Between 183rd and 181st Streets

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Here are three from Fort Washington Avenue between 183rd and 181st Streets. There is no 182nd Street West of Broadway.




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

The Rose Arms at 482 Fort Washington Avenue.






Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

These three guys are walking by the fence/wall that encloses the Fort Washington Collegiate Church, shown below.






Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

And here is the front view of the church which we saw from 181st Street in April 2007. I wonder if it's the only church in Manhattan in a country setting. Some day I will know.


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Turtle Bay, 43rd Street Between Lexington and Third Avenues

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge





Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

Last Wednesday, I was through with therapy at 11:45 (location, Upper West Side) and I was to meet FL for lunch on Tudor City Place at 2:15. That gave me enough time to do a photowalk and get a pedicure.

I took the 1 train downtown, and the 7 across to Grand Central. I wanted to walk 43rd Street from Lexington Avenue to First Avenue where it ends, and Tudor City Place in its entirety, from 43rd to 40th Street.

Midtown from noon to 1:00 is madness, with zillions of office workers out looking for lunch, and in a hurry. However, when I turned off Lexington onto 43rd Street, I was struck with . . . quietness. Yes, right there in middest midtown. Just steps from Grand Central. For some reason, there was no place to get food, so no reason to be there.

There was also not much to photograph, until I saw Saint Agnes Church being dominated by a tall severe white building. And the scene being reflected across the street.


See map.

Manhattanville, 126th Street Between Old Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

Mary Sargent © 2009 ……….. click to enlarge

Same block. South side. I love this building. That doesn't mean I want to live there.



Mary Sargent © 2009 ……… click to enlarge

North side. I would not have posted this photo if I hadn't found out it's an historic church. Because I don't like it as a photo is why. But I thought it over and decided I couldn't deny you the opportunity to improve your minds.

This is St. Mary's Episcopal Church, founded in 1823. It is Harlem's oldest church still in its original location. Its congregation included the widow and children of Alexander Hamilton, African-American abolitionists (yes, it was racially integrated), and Daniel Tiemann, Mayor of New York in 1858-59. There is a street named after Tiemann in Manhattanville which I haven't walked yet. It became New York's first "free pew" Episcopal Church in 1831. Before that you had to pay for your pew. I looked on the web for more information about this pew thing and look what I found: freepews.com. Yes, church pews, free for the taking. They won't ship them. Unfortunately for us New Yorkers, there are none in New York City just now. Maybe tomorrow. But if you want to go to Elmira Heights, NY, you can have your choice of or all of 10', 12' and 16' pews, complete with book racks. Uh oh, I seem to have worked myself into a fit of pew desire. Luckily, I can't do anything about it.

Back to serious matters. You should read this NY Times article from 1866. Note that you have to scroll down to catch the beginning.


See map.

Manhattanville, Old Broadway Between 126th and 125th Streets

Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge




Mary Sargent © 2009 …….. click to enlarge

Old Broadway used to be a bend in Bloomingdale Road and after Bloomingdale Road became Broadway and Broadway was straightened, it was lopped off. Thus Old (bendy) Broadway. Then in 1961, the Manhattanville Houses were built (we saw one of the buildings last night), and cut the street into two pieces. Two blocks on this side and two more from 131st to 133rd Streets. This is one of those streets that I get curious about just seeing them on the map.

So this is what we have: a pretty little synagogue, the Old Broadway Synagogue, recently renovated. Notice the turquoise car which matches the stained glass.

And a white wall with blue awning looking like New Mexico today.

Check out the map. It shows Old Broadway on the other side of 126th Street as just a little nub before it runs into 129th Street. Mainly the grounds of the Manhattanville Houses. And it shows, better than words can tell, why we go from 126th to 129th Street at this point.

Greenwich Village, 11th Street Between Sixth and Fifth Avenues; Fifth Avenue Between 11th and 12th Streets

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Here's the destination: First Presbyterian Church.



Mary Sargent © 2009 …………………………………….. click to enlarge




Mary Sargent © 2009 ………. click to enlarge

And a couple more photos of Tree Gems.

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Manhattanville, Convent Avenue Between 131st and 133rd Streets

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This is the Church of the Annunciation, a Catholic church. I could find nothing on the web except its name, address, and telephone number. Most mysterious.

See map.