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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Brewster, New York)
Encyclopedia
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is located at the corner of Prospect and Michael Neuner streets in Brewster
, New York
, United States
. The congregation dates, informally, to 1872, though it was not formally accepted into the American Episcopal Church until ten years later. The building itself was finished in 1903, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1998.
It is the third church built on the site. Seth Howes, a wealthy congregant, offered to pay for the construction of a stone church to replace the first structure, a wooden church. He hired architects Edward Pearce Casey and Arthur Durant Sneden to design a church that recalled the English country churches that were among the first to use the Gothic Revival architectural style
. However, this structure burned down within months of being finished and was immediately replaced. The current building features stained glass
by Calvert & Kimberly, former students of Louis Comfort Tiffany
. The chancel window, dedicated to Howes, is thought to be the work of Tiffany. The main part of the church has not been altered since its completion, although an addition was built in 1961.
. It takes a cruciform
shape, with granite
-faced stone walls two feet (50 cm) thick. The tower and nave
are supported by buttress
es. The former is faced with an E. Howard & Co.
clock over the heavy (up to 650 pounds (294.8 kg)), detailed red wooden double doors at the entrance; the latter has a cross-gable
d roof surfaced in slate
. The battlement
ed belfry
shelters a 1576 pounds (714.9 kg) bell
.
On the south transept
is a wooden porch
with a second entrance, similar to the first. The north transept leads to the Great Hall wing, built later of sympathetic design and materials.
Inside the nave is a hammerbeam roof
, its exposed rafter
s built of varnish
ed pine
. On the floor are two rows of oak
pew
s with three aisle
s. The south transept, once a vestibule itself, is set off with an oak screen and now has a chapel
and columbarium
. Opposite, to the north, are more pews, one of the organ
's pipe banks. In the
choir are the organ and its other pipe bank, the altar
and two ornamental balconies
. The stained glass windows along the walls tell the story of Christ
, with the chancel window depicting Christ enthroned.
emulate them. The hammerbeam roof is believed to have been something he asked for; in keeping with the style the two architects relied on simplicity and sweeping lines to create beauty, avoiding later Gothic Revival ornamentation
such as gargoyle
s, flying buttress
es or column
s. It is, even today, one of the few stone churches in Putnam County.
. These continued for eight years until that building burned down in 1880. A Brewster native and founder, Seth Howes, who had returned home to retire after becoming wealthy as a circus
entrepreneur and Chicago
-area developer, led the congregation in building a small wooden church on the current land. It was opened in 1881; the following year it was formally incorporated and admitted to the Episcopal Diocese of New York
, marking the beginning of the church and its parish as a formal entity.
In the next decade, the church established two chapels in nearby rural communities (they were eventually reunited with the church when the land on which one stood was acquired by New York City
for one of its reservoirs in the area). Howes, who had been building and expanding his Morningthorpe estate
south of Brewster, offered to pay for the building of a newer, more stylish church with surplus stone from that construction job.
He hired Edward Pearce Casey, best known at the time for his work on the Library of Congress
's Thomas Jefferson Building
(as it is now known), and Arthur Durant Sneden, then chief designer for the New York City Board of Education
. Casey sketched out the main plan of the building and Sneden concentrated on the details. At the insistence of Howes, who had traveled abroad and was fond of English country churches, they hewed to that model.
services in 1901, just two weeks before Howes died. Two and a half months later, the inside of the new church was gutted by fire
and the building was largely destroyed. It was meticulously rebuilt to the original design and was formally consecrated
in 1903.
Starting in the late 1920s, under the leadership of The Rev. F.A. Coleman, the church expanded its membership and started organizations like a Women's Auxiliary, the Girl's Friendly Society and the St. Andrew's Guild to serve the community. In 1961 the Great Hall, the only addition to the original church since its construction and rebuilding, was built to provide community meeting space and Sunday school programs.
The Rev. Lawrence Larson, who took over as rector
in the 1980s, further expanded the church's outreach. In addition to the recently-started nursery school
, he spearheaded the creation of the Brewster Community Food Pantry in cooperation with two other area churches. Both are still in operation.
In 2000, the congregation called The Rev. Terri Heyduk to serve as its first permanent female rector, a position she held until 2009. She helped the church buy the neighboring house on Prospect Street, which was used as a consignment shop for some time.
Brewster, New York
Brewster is a village within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York, United States. Its population was 2,162 at the 2000 census. The village is the most densely populated portion of the town...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The congregation dates, informally, to 1872, though it was not formally accepted into the American Episcopal Church until ten years later. The building itself was finished in 1903, and was listed on 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...
in 1998.
It is the third church built on the site. Seth Howes, a wealthy congregant, offered to pay for the construction of a stone church to replace the first structure, a wooden church. He hired architects Edward Pearce Casey and Arthur Durant Sneden to design a church that recalled the English country churches that were among the first to use the Gothic Revival architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
. However, this structure burned down within months of being finished and was immediately replaced. The current building features stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by Calvert & Kimberly, former students of Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
. The chancel window, dedicated to Howes, is thought to be the work of Tiffany. The main part of the church has not been altered since its completion, although an addition was built in 1961.
Building
The church occupies half its 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) corner lotLot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
. It takes a cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
shape, with granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
-faced stone walls two feet (50 cm) thick. The tower and nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
are supported by 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 former is faced with an E. Howard & Co.
E. Howard & Co.
thumb|Street clock by E. Howard & Co.The E. Howard & Co. clock and watch company was formed by Edward Howard and Charles Rice in 1858 after the demise of the Boston Watch Company...
clock over the heavy (up to 650 pounds (294.8 kg)), detailed red wooden double doors at the entrance; the latter has a cross-gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof surfaced in slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
. The battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
shelters a 1576 pounds (714.9 kg) bell
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
.
On the south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
is a wooden porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
with a second entrance, similar to the first. The north transept leads to the Great Hall wing, built later of sympathetic design and materials.
Inside the nave is a hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
, its exposed rafter
Rafter
A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members , that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated loads.-Design:...
s built of varnish
Varnish
Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials. Varnish is traditionally a combination of a drying oil, a resin, and a thinner or solvent. Varnish finishes are usually glossy but may be designed to produce satin or semi-gloss...
ed pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
. On the floor are two rows of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s with three aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s. The south transept, once a vestibule itself, is set off with an oak screen and now has a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
and columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
. Opposite, to the north, are more pews, one of the organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
's pipe banks. In the
choir are the organ and its other pipe bank, the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
and two ornamental balconies
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
. The stained glass windows along the walls tell the story of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, with the chancel window depicting Christ enthroned.
Aesthetics
Seth Howes, the church's main benefactor at the time of the building's original construction, was particularly taken with the small country churches he had seen while traveling in England, and sought to have his church in a small country town in upstate New YorkUpstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
emulate them. The hammerbeam roof is believed to have been something he asked for; in keeping with the style the two architects relied on simplicity and sweeping lines to create beauty, avoiding later Gothic Revival ornamentation
Ornament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
such as gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s, flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es or column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s. It is, even today, one of the few stone churches in Putnam County.
19th century
In 1872 a group of Brewster townspeople began meeting in what was then the new town hall to hold Sunday schoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
. These continued for eight years until that building burned down in 1880. A Brewster native and founder, Seth Howes, who had returned home to retire after becoming wealthy as a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
entrepreneur and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-area developer, led the congregation in building a small wooden church on the current land. It was opened in 1881; the following year it was formally incorporated and admitted to the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Episcopal Diocese of New York
The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island in New York City, and the New York state counties of Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and...
, marking the beginning of the church and its parish as a formal entity.
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...
for one of its reservoirs in the area). Howes, who had been building and expanding his Morningthorpe estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
south of Brewster, offered to pay for the building of a newer, more stylish church with surplus stone from that construction job.
He hired Edward Pearce Casey, best known at the time for his work on the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
's Thomas Jefferson Building
Thomas Jefferson Building
The oldest of the three United States Library of Congress buildings, the Thomas Jefferson Building was built between 1890 and 1897. It is known for its classicizing facade and elaborately decorated interior. John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J...
(as it is now known), and Arthur Durant Sneden, then chief designer for the New York City Board of Education
New York City Board of Education
The New York City Board of Education is the governing body of the New York City Department of Education. The members of the board are appointed by the mayor and by the five borough presidents.-Rise, fall and return of Mayoral Control:...
. Casey sketched out the main plan of the building and Sneden concentrated on the details. At the insistence of Howes, who had traveled abroad and was fond of English country churches, they hewed to that model.
20th–21st centuries
The church was opened in time for EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
services in 1901, just two weeks before Howes died. Two and a half months later, the inside of the new church was gutted by fire
Structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various residential buildings ranging from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments and tower blocks, or various commercial buildings ranging from offices to shopping malls...
and the building was largely destroyed. It was meticulously rebuilt to the original design and was formally consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
in 1903.
Starting in the late 1920s, under the leadership of The Rev. F.A. Coleman, the church expanded its membership and started organizations like a Women's Auxiliary, the Girl's Friendly Society and the St. Andrew's Guild to serve the community. In 1961 the Great Hall, the only addition to the original church since its construction and rebuilding, was built to provide community meeting space and Sunday school programs.
The Rev. Lawrence Larson, who took over as rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
in the 1980s, further expanded the church's outreach. In addition to the recently-started nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
, he spearheaded the creation of the Brewster Community Food Pantry in cooperation with two other area churches. Both are still in operation.
In 2000, the congregation called The Rev. Terri Heyduk to serve as its first permanent female rector, a position she held until 2009. She helped the church buy the neighboring house on Prospect Street, which was used as a consignment shop for some time.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Putnam County, New York