St. Paul's Chapel
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| St. Paul's Chapel | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | New York, New York |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built/Founded: | 1764 |
| Architect: | McBean,Thomas |
| Architectural style(s): | Georgian |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference #: | 66000551 [1] |
| Governing body: | Private |
St. Paul's Chapel, at 209 Broadway, is an Episcopal chapel located on Church Street between Fulton and Vesey Streets, opposite the east side of the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan in New York City.
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[edit] History and Architecture
A chapel of the Parish of Trinity Church, St. Paul's was built on land granted by Queen Anne of Great Britain, and Andrew Gautier served as the master craftsman. Upon completion in 1766, it stood in a field some distance from the growing port city to the south. It was built as a "chapel-of-ease" for parishioners who lived far from the Mother Church.
Built of Manhattan mica-schist with brownstone quoins, St. Paul's has the classical portico, boxy proportions and domestic details that are characteristic of Georgian churches such as James Gibbs' London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it was modelled. Its octagonal tower rises from a square base and is topped by a replica of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates (c. 335 BC).
Inside, the chapel's simple elegant hall has the pale colors, flat ceiling and cut glass chandeliers reminiscent of contemporary domestic interiors. In contrast to the awe-inspiring interior of Trinity Church, this hall and its ample gallery were endowed with a cozy and comfortable character in order to encourage attendance.
The chapel contains several monuments and memorials that attest to its elevated status in early New York: a monument to Richard Montgomery (hero of the battle of Quebec) sculpted by Jean-Jacques Caffieri (1777), George Washington's original pew and a neo-Baroque sculpture called "Glory" designed by Pierre L'Enfant, the designer of Washington, D.C. The pulpit is surmounted by a coronet and six feathers, and fourteen original cut-glass chandeliers hang in the nave and the galleries.
On the Broadway side of the chapel's exterior is an oak statue of the church's namesake, Saint Paul, carved in the American Primitive style. Below the east window is the monument to Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who died at the Battle of Quebec (1775) during the American Revolutionary War. In the spire, the first bell is inscribed "Mears London, Fecit [Made] 1797." The second bell, made in 1866, was added in celebration of the chapel's 100th anniversary.
[edit] September 11, 2001
After the attack on September 11, 2001, which led to the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, St. Paul's Chapel served as a place of rest and refuge for recovery workers at the WTC site.
For eight months, hundreds of volunteers worked 12 hour shifts around the clock, serving meals, making beds, counseling and praying with fire fighters, construction workers, police and others. Massage therapists, chiropractors, podiatrists and musicians also tended to their needs.
The church survived without even a broken window. Church history declares it was spared by a miracle sycamore on the northwest corner of the property that was hit by debris. The tree's root has been preserved in a bronze memorial by sculptor Steve Tobin.
The fence around the church grounds became the main spot for visitors to place impromptu memorials to the event. After it became filled with flowers, photos, teddy bears, and other paraphernalia, chapel officials decided to erect a number of panels on which visitors could add to the memorial. Estimating that only 15 would be needed in total, they eventually required 400.
Rudolph Giuliani gave his mayoral farewell speech at the church on December 27, 2001.
The Chapel is now a popular tourist destination since it still keeps many of the memorial banners around the sanctuary and has an extensive audio video history of the event. There are a number of exhibits in the Chapel. The first one when entering is "Healing Hearts and Minds", which consists of a policeman's uniform covered with police and firefighter patches sent from all over the country, including Iowa, West Virginia, California, etc. The most visible is the "Thread Project", which consists of several banners, each of a different color, and woven from different locations from around the globe, hung from the the upper level over the pews.
[edit] Services
St. Paul's Chapel is a very active part of the Parish of Trinity Church, holding services, weekday concerts, occasional lectures, and providing a shelter for the homeless.
On the evening of September 10, 2006, St. Paul's Chapel hosted a memorial service that was attended by President George W. Bush, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor George Pataki, and Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani.[2], with the chapel holding additional services on the fifth annniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
[edit] Miscellanea
- St. Paul's Chapel, part of the Parish of Trinity Church, is the oldest public building in continuous use in New York City.
- The chapel survived the Great New York City Fire of 1776 when a quarter of New York City (then the area around Wall Street) burned following the British capture of the city in the Battle of Long Island in the American Revolutionary War
- George Washington worshiped here on his Inauguration Day, April 30, 1789, and attended services at St. Paul's during the two years New York City was the country's capital. Above Washington's pew is an 18th-century oil painting of the Great Seal of the United States; adopted in 1782.
- Above the Governor's pew, which Governor George Clinton, the first Governor of the State of New York, used when he visited St. Paul's, are The Arms of the State of New York.
- Other historical worshipers have included:
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- Prince William, later King William IV of England
- Lord Cornwallis, who is most famous in this country for surrendering at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781
- Sir William Howe, Commander-in-Chief of British forces in America
- U.S. Presidents Grover Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, and George H. W. Bush
[edit] References
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
- ^ St. Paul's and the Three Georges. St. Paul's Chapel (September 10, 2006).
[edit] External links
- St. Paul's Chapel – Official website
- The Parish of Trinity Church – Official website
- The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine – Mother Church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
[edit] Resources
Categories: National Historic Landmarks of the United States | Chapels | Episcopal churches in the United States | Churches in New York City | Buildings and structures in Manhattan | Landmarks in New York City | Registered Historic Places in Manhattan | Gothic Revival architecture | 1698 establishments | 1766 architecture
