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St. Peter's Episcopal Church
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Front façade in 2011
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| Location: | 107 State Street, Albany, New York |
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| Built: | 1859 |
| Architect: | Richard Upjohn and Richard M. Upjohn |
| Architectural style: | Gothic Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| Part of: | Downtown Albany Historic District (#80002579) |
| NRHP Reference#: | 72000817 |
| Added to NRHP: | March 16, 1972[1] |
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, also known as St. Peter's Church, in Albany, New York, is a church built in 1859 that was designed by Richard Upjohn and his son Richard M. Upjohn. The architecture is French-style decorated Gothic.[2]
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980.[3][2] It is also a contributing property to the Downtown Albany Historic District.
In 1980, the church included an important stained glass window by Weaver and a silver communion service set given to the church by Queen Anne in 1715.
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The history of the church goes back to 1704, when Queen Anne founded a "chapel of the Onondagas" to bring missionaries. Queen Anne gave the Anglican community in Albany the right to build a church and granted them land east of Fort Frederick, in the middle of Yonkers Street (today State Street).[4] After many years of conflict in which the city council was dominated by those of the Dutch Reformed faith who attempted to stop construction of the church,[4] Saint Peters was eventually built 1715-17, being opened to the public on November 25, 1717 by Reverend Thomas Barclay.[4] It was the first Anglican church in New York west of the Hudson River,[4] and the first Anglican church north of the city of New York. The first St. Peter's was located in the middle of State Street at the intersection of Chapel Street and it measured 43 by 58 feet.[4]
On March 1, 1731 the church was damaged by a fire.[5] It was repaired but in July 1802 it was torn down and a church designed by architect Philip Hooker was its replacement at the corner of State and Lodge streets, cornerstone laid May 7, 1802;[6] this second church was finished in 1803. That second church was demolished in 1859.
The third, and current, church was built in 1860. The remains of Lord Howe are interred under the vestibule;[7] he is the only British Lord buried in the United States.[8][9] In 1868 the newly formed Episcopal Diocese of Albany met in convention at St. Peter's to choose a bishop and William Doane, rector of St. Peter's, was chosen on December 3, he was consecrated as such on February 2, 1869 in St. Peter's.[10] The current rector is Paul Hartt..[11]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:St._Peter%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Albany,_New_York) St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York)] at Wikimedia Commons