The Church of the Nativity is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...

, located at 44 Second Avenue between Second and 3rd Streets in the East Village

East Village, Manhattan

The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...

 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 established in 1842 and was formerly staffed by the Jesuit Fathers

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

.

Buildings

The original painted-timber Greek Revival

Greek Revival architecture

The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...

 sanctuary was built in 1832 at 48 Second Avenue as the Second Avenue Presbyterian Church and was designed by the prominent New York firm of Town & Davis, which then included Alexander Jackson Davis

Alexander Jackson Davis

Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....

, J.H. Dakin, and James Gallier

James Gallier

James Gallier was a prominent New Orleans architect.He was born James Gallagher in Ravensdale, County Louth, Ireland in 1798. He worked in England during his early career, designing the Godmanchester Chinese Bridge which crosses a mill stream of the River Great Ouse in 1827, and then working on the...

. It consisted of a Greek Doric portico and two-stage steeple. In 1842, it was sold to the newly formed Nativity of Our Lord parish and became the Church of the Nativity. It was demolished in 1970.

The present Modernist church was built from 1968 to 1970 for $240,000 to the designs of Genovese & Maddalene

Genovese & Maddalene

Genovese & Maddalene was an architectural firm established in 1963 by architects Anthony Vincent Genovese and Herbert F. Maddalene, based in Glen Rock, New Jersey that specialized in the design of churches. The address was 175 Rock Rd, Glen Rock, New Jersey 07452.-Works as Genovese &...

. It has been described as "starkly institutional" and "a modern architectural cartoon exhibiting a gross idea with no detail."

External links