Marble Collegiate Church
Encyclopedia
The Marble Collegiate Church, founded in 1628, is one of the oldest continuous Protestant congregation in North America
. The congregation, which is part of the Reformed Church in America
, is now located at 272 Fifth Avenue at the corner of West 29th Street in the NoMad
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
. It was built in 1851-54 and was designed by Samuel A. Warner in Romanesque Revival style
with Gothic trim
. The facade is covered in Tuckahoe marble, for which the church, originally called the Fifth Avenue Church, was renamed in 1906.
The building was designated a New York City landmarks in 1967, and in 1980 was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
and was affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church
, a Calvinist church in the Netherlands
. During its first 150 years, Marble shared its ministers with the other Collegiate congregations as they developed in the city. This pooling of pastoral ministry was abandoned in 1871. The name "Collegiate" remains as part of the heritage of the four such churches in New York City today, and they participate in an administrative unit that oversees physical properties and investments held in common. The other congregations are Middle Collegiate
, West End Collegiate
, and Fort Washington Collegiate.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
, the noted author of The Power of Positive Thinking served as senior minister from 1932-1984. Under his ministry Marble's influence reached national levels and became known as "America's Hometown Church." On November 19, 1961, Lucille Ball
married her second husband Gary Morton
in the church. Following Peale's fifty-two year ministry, Dr. Arthur Caliandro served 25 years as the fifth senior minister of Marble Church. In all, he served 42 years on the pastoral staff. During Caliandro's tenure, MarbleVision, the media ministry of Marble Church was founded, its first woman minister was ordained, and the first women elders received. In addition, the church added its first new stained-glass window in almost 100 years. In 2009, Dr. Michael B. Brown, former pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, succeeded Dr. Caliandro as senior minister.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The congregation, which is part of the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
, is now located at 272 Fifth Avenue at the corner of West 29th Street in the NoMad
NoMad
NoMad is a neighborhood centered around the Madison Square North Historic District in the borough of Manhattan in New York City....
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...
. It was built in 1851-54 and was designed by Samuel A. Warner in Romanesque Revival style
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
with Gothic trim
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. The facade is covered in Tuckahoe marble, for which the church, originally called the Fifth Avenue Church, was renamed in 1906.
The building was designated a New York City landmarks in 1967, and in 1980 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...
.
History
The church congregation was founded in 1628 as the Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch ChurchMiddle Dutch Church (New York City)
The Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church refers to a Dutch Reformed congregation in Manhattan, New York City, which has had a variety of church buildings and now exists in the form of four component bodies: the Marble, Middle, West End and Fort Washington Collegiate Churches, all part of the...
and was affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
, a Calvinist church in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. During its first 150 years, Marble shared its ministers with the other Collegiate congregations as they developed in the city. This pooling of pastoral ministry was abandoned in 1871. The name "Collegiate" remains as part of the heritage of the four such churches in New York City today, and they participate in an administrative unit that oversees physical properties and investments held in common. The other congregations are Middle Collegiate
New Middle Collegiate Church (New York City)
The New Middle Collegiate Church, on Second Avenue in the East Village is located between 6th and 7th Streets.It was built in 1891 and designed by S. B. Reed and was "'thoroughly equipped' as one guide said, 'with reading-rooms, gymnasium, and all appliances for aggressive modern church work'." ...
, West End Collegiate
West End Collegiate Church
The West End Collegiate Church is a church on West End Avenue at 77th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. It is part of The Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in the City of New York, the oldest Protestant church with a continuing organization in America...
, and Fort Washington Collegiate.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:...
, the noted author of The Power of Positive Thinking served as senior minister from 1932-1984. Under his ministry Marble's influence reached national levels and became known as "America's Hometown Church." On November 19, 1961, Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
married her second husband Gary Morton
Gary Morton
Gary Morton was the second husband of Lucille Ball. He was a stand-up comedian, whose primary venues were the hotels and resorts of the Borscht Belt in upstate New York.-Relationship with Lucille Ball:...
in the church. Following Peale's fifty-two year ministry, Dr. Arthur Caliandro served 25 years as the fifth senior minister of Marble Church. In all, he served 42 years on the pastoral staff. During Caliandro's tenure, MarbleVision, the media ministry of Marble Church was founded, its first woman minister was ordained, and the first women elders received. In addition, the church added its first new stained-glass window in almost 100 years. In 2009, Dr. Michael B. Brown, former pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, succeeded Dr. Caliandro as senior minister.