Sunday, December 07, 2008

Upper West Side, West End Avenue Between 88th and 87th Streets


Mary Sargent © 2008 …………………………………….. click to enlarge

I was startled at my first sight of these towers, especially the one closest. It seemed out of place, medieval. In fact the AIA New York Guide calls it "a startling work." But not exactly for its medieval appearance. More for its being in the imaginative vein of French neo-Classicist architecture. So I was off by a few hundred years.

Luckily, there is a 1987 Streetscapes article to provide a story. It describes the towers this way:

The most-striking feature of the church is its unequal pair of high, open towers on the West End Avenue front. Without bells, they have no apparent function and are haunting, evocative forms.

Note also that in January 2007, I posted a shot from the 86th Street side of this church.

See map.

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