St. Mary's Church (Manhattan)

Not to be confused with St. Mary's Church, 69th Street (Manhattan)

Mary's RCC Grand St jeh.jpg
General information
Town or city Manhattan, New York City
Country United States
Construction started 1833 (original church), 1871 (enlarged with new facade)[1][2]
Design and construction
Client Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Architect Patrick C. Keely (for 1871 facade)[1]

The Church of St. Mary is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 438-440 Grand Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.[3] Established in 1826 to serve Irish immigrants living in the neighborhood, it is the third oldest Catholic parish in New York.[4]

History

At first, services were held in a former Presbyterian church on Sheriff Street. In 1831, anti-Catholic nativists set fire to the church, but it was not completely destroyed and continued to operate. The first New York chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians was established in 1836 partly in response.[4]

In 1832 the cornerstone was laid for the present building, which was dedicated in June 1833. Originally designed in the Greek Revival style, the facade was altered to Romanesque by Patrick Keely in 1864, and other changes were made by Lawrence O'Connor in 1871.[4] The AIA Guide to New York City (2010) states that it is "the second-oldest Roman Catholic church structure in all of the City (old St. Patrick's was first:1815)—the somber gray ashlar rear portion, that is. The amusing red brick front and its twin spires are by the prolific architect Keely."[1]

Irish-American prelate, the Rev. Michael McKenna (priest) (died June 4, 1875), and who had ties to Irish nationalist movement, was assistant pastor here in 1868 before becoming the first pastor of the newly separated (from St. Mary's parish) parish of St. Rose of Lima.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Norval White, Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City Fifth Ed. American Insitute of Architects New York Chapter Series. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), p.106. ISBN 9780195383867.
  2. ^ Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.345-347.
  3. ^ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
  4. ^ a b c American Guild of Organists, New York City chapter, Church of St. Mary (Roman Catholic), http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/StMaryRC.html 
  5. ^ Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.369.