Calvary Church (Manhattan)
Encyclopedia
Calvary Church is an Episcopal
church located at 273 Park Avenue South on the corner of East 21st Street in the Gramercy Park
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
, on the border of the Flatiron District. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr.
, the architect who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral
and Grace Church, and was completed in 1848. The church complex is located within the Gramercy Park Historic District and Extension. It is one of the two sanctuaries of the Calvary-St. George's Parish
.
– uptown of its current site.
That building was moved to the current location in 1842, and the new Renwick-designed Gothic Revival
sanctuary was completed in 1848. Renwick patterned Calvary after twin-towered French cathedrals, but, unlike Grace Church, Calvary was constructed of brownstone
. The church's two wooden spires were removed in the early 20th century because of deterioration.
The church complex also includes the nine-story Calvary House, east of the church on Gramercy Park North (East 21st Street), also designed by Renwick, and built in 1867, and the "Renwick Gem" Schoolhouse, a small building to the north of the church which was built as a theatre but used for that purpose only for a short time before being utilized for the Calvary Church sunday school. It has a large interior space, about 27 feet (8.2 m) between the columns, which were designed to hold up the heavy slate roof without the use of exterior buttress
es. The building, which as of 2011 houses the 4th and 5th grade classes of the Ecole Internationale de New York, compensates for the shadowing of the taller buildings around through Renwick's use of 42 clerestory windows.
The family of Theodore Roosevelt
lived two blocks away from Calvary Church from 1854 to 1872 – Roosevelt was born in their house
in 1858, and Calvary was the church the family belonged to. Other congregants included members of the Astor
and Vanderbilt
families.
The church enjoys a close historical association with the Washington National Cathedral
. In 1896, the rector of Calvary, Henry Yates Satterlee
, was consecrated the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington
in a ceremony in Calvary Church. Satterlee was instrumental in procuring Mount Saint Alban as the site for the Cathedral, and he laid the Cathedral’s main cornerstone in 1907. The parishioners of Calvary donated the church’s baptismal font to the new cathedral, and it is located in the Bethlehem Chapel.
Calvary has a strong connection to Alcoholics Anonymous
: when the Rev. Dr. Samuel Shoemaker was the minister there, from 1928 to 1952, Calvary House was the American center of the Oxford Group
, from which came some of A.A.'s major underlying ideas. Bill Wilson, the co-founder of the twelve-step group, wrote: "It is through Sam Shoemaker that most of A.A.'s spiritual principles have come. Sam is one of the great channels, one of the prime sources of influences that have gathered themselves into what is now A.A."
In 1976, facing financial difficulty, Calvary parish merged with the nearby parishes of St. George's Church
and the Church of the Holy Communion
. The Holy Communion buildings were deconsecrated and sold to pay down the debts of the new combined parish, eventually becoming the Limelight disco, and the remaining two churches continued to operate as Calvary-St. George's Parish
. Calvary House is now rented out as offices.
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...
church located at 273 Park Avenue South on the corner of East 21st Street in the Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
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...
, on the border of the Flatiron District. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr.
James Renwick, Jr.
James Renwick, Jr. , was a prominent American architect in the 19th-century. The Encyclopedia of American Architecture calls him "one of the most successful American architects of his time".-Life and work:Renwick was born into a wealthy and well-educated family...
, the architect who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
and Grace Church, and was completed in 1848. The church complex is located within the Gramercy Park Historic District and Extension. It is one of the two sanctuaries of the Calvary-St. George's Parish
Calvary-St. George's Parish
Calvary-St. George's Parish is an Episcopal parish in Manhattan, New York City. It was formed in 1976 from the merger of the parishes of three churches which were in close proximity:*St...
.
History
The Calvary Church parish was founded in 1832, and initially used a wooden-frame church on what was then Fourth Avenue – which has since become Park AvenuePark Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
– uptown of its current site.
That building was moved to the current location in 1842, and the new Renwick-designed Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
sanctuary was completed in 1848. Renwick patterned Calvary after twin-towered French cathedrals, but, unlike Grace Church, Calvary was constructed of brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
. The church's two wooden spires were removed in the early 20th century because of deterioration.
The church complex also includes the nine-story Calvary House, east of the church on Gramercy Park North (East 21st Street), also designed by Renwick, and built in 1867, and the "Renwick Gem" Schoolhouse, a small building to the north of the church which was built as a theatre but used for that purpose only for a short time before being utilized for the Calvary Church sunday school. It has a large interior space, about 27 feet (8.2 m) between the columns, which were designed to hold up the heavy slate roof without the use of exterior buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. The building, which as of 2011 houses the 4th and 5th grade classes of the Ecole Internationale de New York, compensates for the shadowing of the taller buildings around through Renwick's use of 42 clerestory windows.
The family of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
lived two blocks away from Calvary Church from 1854 to 1872 – Roosevelt was born in their house
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a recreated brownstone at 28 East 20th Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South, in Manhattan, New York City....
in 1858, and Calvary was the church the family belonged to. Other congregants included members of the Astor
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
and Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
families.
The church enjoys a close historical association with the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
. In 1896, the rector of Calvary, Henry Yates Satterlee
Henry Yates Satterlee
Henry Yates Satterlee was the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral.-Early life:...
, was consecrated the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Episcopal Diocese of Washington
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington in the United States. The territory comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery...
in a ceremony in Calvary Church. Satterlee was instrumental in procuring Mount Saint Alban as the site for the Cathedral, and he laid the Cathedral’s main cornerstone in 1907. The parishioners of Calvary donated the church’s baptismal font to the new cathedral, and it is located in the Bethlehem Chapel.
Calvary has a strong connection to Alcoholics Anonymous
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...
: when the Rev. Dr. Samuel Shoemaker was the minister there, from 1928 to 1952, Calvary House was the American center of the Oxford Group
Oxford Group
The Oxford Group was a Christian movement that had a following in Europe, China, Africa, Australia, Scandinavia and America in the 1920s and 30s. It was initiated by an American Lutheran pastor, Frank Buchman, who was of Swiss descent...
, from which came some of A.A.'s major underlying ideas. Bill Wilson, the co-founder of the twelve-step group, wrote: "It is through Sam Shoemaker that most of A.A.'s spiritual principles have come. Sam is one of the great channels, one of the prime sources of influences that have gathered themselves into what is now A.A."
In 1976, facing financial difficulty, Calvary parish merged with the nearby parishes of St. George's Church
St. George's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)
St. George's Episcopal Church is a historic church located at 209 East 16th Street at Rutherford Place, on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan, New York City. Called "one of the first and most significant examples of Early Romanesque Revival church architecture in America", the church exterior was...
and the Church of the Holy Communion
Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings
The Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings are historic Episcopal church buildings at 656-662 Avenue of the Americas at West 20th Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City....
. The Holy Communion buildings were deconsecrated and sold to pay down the debts of the new combined parish, eventually becoming the Limelight disco, and the remaining two churches continued to operate as Calvary-St. George's Parish
Calvary-St. George's Parish
Calvary-St. George's Parish is an Episcopal parish in Manhattan, New York City. It was formed in 1976 from the merger of the parishes of three churches which were in close proximity:*St...
. Calvary House is now rented out as offices.
Notable people
Notable clergymen, parishioners, and others associated with Calvary Church have included:- Chester A. ArthurChester A. ArthurChester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
(1829–1886) – The future 21st President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
was married to Ellen Lewis HerndonEllen Lewis Herndon ArthurEllen Lewis Herndon Arthur was the wife of the 21st President of the United States, Chester A. Arthur.-Early life:...
in Calvary Church on October 25, 1859. - Alva BelmontAlva BelmontAlva Erskine Belmont , née Alva Erskine Smith, also called Alva Vanderbilt from 1875 to 1896, was a prominent multi-millionaire American socialite and a major figure in the women's suffrage movement...
(1853–1933) – Alva Erskine Smith married William Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam VanderbiltWilliam Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
at Calvary Church on April 20, 1875, in what was "reported as 'the grandest wedding witnessed in [New York City] for many years.'" Their only daughter was Consuelo VanderbiltConsuelo VanderbiltConsuelo Balsan , was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family...
. After the death of her second husband, Oliver BelmontOliver BelmontOliver Hazard Perry Belmont was an American socialite and United States Representative from New York.- Biography :...
, Alva Belmont became a major figure in the women’s suffrage movement. - Benjamin Brewster (1860–1941) – After serving as a vicarVicarIn the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
at Calvary (1887–1891), Brewster was consecrated Missionary Bishop of Western ColoradoEpiscopal Diocese of Western ColoradoThe Episcopal Diocese of Western Colorado was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America from 1892 to 1898 and from 1907 to 1919....
and Bishop of MaineEpiscopal Diocese of MaineThe Episcopal Diocese of Maine is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and encompasses the entire State of Maine. It is part of the Province of New England - Province I of the ECUSA...
. - Arthur Cleveland CoxeArthur Cleveland CoxeArthur Cleveland Coxe DD LLD was the second Episcopal bishop of New York. He used Cleveland as his given name and is often referred to as A. Cleveland Coxe.-Biography:...
(1818–1896) – Coxe, who became rector of Calvary in 1863, was consecrated as the second bishop of Western New YorkEpiscopal Diocese of Western New YorkThe Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming in western New York. It is in Province 2 and its cathedral, St. Paul's...
in 1865. - Henry Wellington GreatorexHenry Wellington GreatorexHenry Wellington Greatorex was a musician, born in Burton upon Trent, England, and died in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1849, he married the artist Eliza Pratt.-Career:...
(1816–1853) – English-born organist at Calvary whose setting for the "Gloria Patri" is widely used to this day in Protestant denominations for the singing of the doxologyDoxologyA doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
. - Calvin HamptonCalvin HamptonCalvin Hampton was a leading American organist and sacred music composer.He was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and Syracuse University . He served as Organist and Choirmaster of Calvary Episcopal Church, Gramercy Park, New York City, from September 1963 to...
(1938–1984) – Calvin Hampton, a leading American organistOrganistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and sacred music composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, served as Calvary's organist and choirmaster from 1963 to 1983. - Childe HassamChilde HassamFrederick Childe Hassam was a prolific American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. Along with Mary Cassatt and John Henry Twachtman, Hassam was instrumental in promulgating Impressionism to American collectors, dealers, and museums...
(1859–1935) – Calvary Church was depicted by the American Impressionist artist Childe Hassam. Works featuring the church include "Calvary Church in the Snow," painted in 1893. - General George B. McClellanGeorge B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
(1826–1885) – General McClellan, the major generalMajor general (United States)In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe 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...
who organized the Army of the PotomacArmy of the PotomacThe Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
, was married in Calvary Church on May 22, 1860. - James Renwick Jr. (1818–1895) – Architect of the present building.
- Eleanor RooseveltEleanor RooseveltAnna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
(1884–1962) – Like several members of the Roosevelt family, Eleanor Roosevelt was born in the parish and baptized at Calvary Church. - Henry Yates SatterleeHenry Yates SatterleeHenry Yates Satterlee was the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral.-Early life:...
(1843–1908) – Satterlee was rector of Calvary from 1882 to 1896 before becoming first Episcopal Bishop of WashingtonEpiscopal Diocese of WashingtonThe Episcopal Diocese of Washington is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington in the United States. The territory comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery...
. - Samuel Moor Shoemaker (1893–1963) – The Reverend Dr. Samuel Moor Shoemaker, Calvary's rector from 1928 to 1952, is remembered as a co-founder and spiritual leader of Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Edith WhartonEdith WhartonEdith Wharton , was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, short story writer, and designer.- Early life and marriage:...
(1862–1937) – The George Frederick Jones family, including young Edith Newbold Jones, lived in the parish and worshipped at Calvary. The rector's daughter, Emelyn Washburn, introduced Edith to Goethe, who became her favorite writer. Calvary was used as the setting for Mrs. Wharton’s 1920 Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning novel, The Age of InnocenceThe Age of InnocenceThe Age of Innocence is a novel by Edith Wharton published in 1920, which won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize. The story is set in upper-class New York City in the 1870s. In 1920, The Age of Innocence was serialized in four parts in the Pictorial Review magazine, and later released by D...
, and Dr. Ashmore, a character in the novel, was modeled after the Rev. Edward Washburn (rector, 1865–81).
See also
- St. George's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)St. George's Episcopal Church (Manhattan)St. George's Episcopal Church is a historic church located at 209 East 16th Street at Rutherford Place, on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan, New York City. Called "one of the first and most significant examples of Early Romanesque Revival church architecture in America", the church exterior was...
- Church of the Holy Communion and BuildingsChurch of the Holy Communion and BuildingsThe Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings are historic Episcopal church buildings at 656-662 Avenue of the Americas at West 20th Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City....
, a deconsecrated church