Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (Manhattan)
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a Lutheran
church located at 3 West 65th Street at the corner of Central Park West
in the Upper West Side
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
. It is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
.
The church is a double-height-over-basement stone structure with a rectory, and is located within the Central Park West Historic District
, designated 1990 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
It was built between 1902 and 1904.
The church building, designed by the noted architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars
, who were generally responsible for the designs of Roman Catholic commissions or other clients of German descent.
The church also hosts a soup kitchen
for people suffering from AIDS
and other sexually transmitted diseases.
the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man steps on and destroys the church, causing character Peter Venkman
to exclaim "Nobody steps on a church in my town!"
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
church located at 3 West 65th Street at the corner of Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
in the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
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 is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
.
The church is a double-height-over-basement stone structure with a rectory, and is located within the Central Park West Historic District
Central Park West Historic District
The Central Park West Historic District is located in Manhattan, New York City, United States along historic Central Park West, between 61st and 97th Streets. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 1982...
, designated 1990 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
History
The congregation was founded in 1868 after splitting from St. James's Lutheran Church. Most New York Lutherans were German in the nineteenth century and "Holy Trinity was one of a very few English-speaking Lutheran congregations. The first church was at 47 West 21st Street, in the edifice originally built for St. Paul's Reformed Dutch Church."It was built between 1902 and 1904.
The church building, designed by the noted architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars
Schickel & Ditmars
Schickel & Ditmars was an architectural firm in New York City, active from 1885 until the early 1900s during the city's gilded age. It was responsible for many fine churches, residences, and business buildings. J. William Schickel formed the firm in 1885 as William Schickel & Company, in...
, who were generally responsible for the designs of Roman Catholic commissions or other clients of German descent.
Social programs
According to the church website, "Holy Trinity is most widely known for the Bach Vespers series, begun in 1968, the first instance in America where the cantatas of Bach could be heard regularly on their appointed day (designated by Bach himself) in the context of worship." The church's Bach Choir records hymns and liturgical music for Augsburg Fortress Publishing House.The church also hosts a soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
for people suffering from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and other sexually transmitted diseases.
In popular culture
In the film GhostbustersGhostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man steps on and destroys the church, causing character Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
to exclaim "Nobody steps on a church in my town!"