St. John's Chapel (New York City)
Encyclopedia
St. John's Chapel was a chapel in the Episcopal parish of Trinity Church (Manhattan).
and his brother Isaac McComb on Varrick Street with a sandstone
tetra-style prostyle
portico with supporting a tower (with spire) rose tow 214.25 feet. Master builders for the chapel have been recorded as T. C. Taylor, Henry Hedley, Daniel Domanick and Isaac McComb. The chancel was added in 1857 to designs by Richard M. Upjohn
.
The original location of this church was one of the most attractive in New York. It stood on the eastern side of St. John's Park
whose embowered walks were a favorite recreational spot for the well-to-do residents of the neighbourhood. In the early 1870s the New York Central Railroad
secured the park for a downtown freight terminal. This unfortunate occurrence changed the character of the residential section nearby undesirable influences a location were felt for many blocks in every direction. What had been a neighborhood of aristocratic dwellings was reduced to a slovenly purlieu of ramshackle buildings.
The congregation left in the 1890s and the structure was torn down in 1918. It was cleared during a road-widening scheme for New York City’s Varick Street
. City officials wanted to allow the portico
to protrude into the widened street and vault the flanking pedestrian sidewalk under it because they recognized the steeple’s importance as a landmark. The Episcopal Church instead decided to demolish the building.
History
It was constructed in 1803 to designs by John McComb Jr.John McComb Jr.
John McComb, Jr. was an American architect who designed many landmarks in the 18th and 19th centuries.McComb's father John McComb, Sr...
and his brother Isaac McComb on Varrick Street with a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
tetra-style prostyle
Prostyle
Prostyle is an architectural term defining free standing columns across the front of a building, as often in a portico. The term is often used as an adjective when referring to the portico of a classical building which projects from the main structure...
portico with supporting a tower (with spire) rose tow 214.25 feet. Master builders for the chapel have been recorded as T. C. Taylor, Henry Hedley, Daniel Domanick and Isaac McComb. The chancel was added in 1857 to designs by Richard M. Upjohn
Richard M. Upjohn
Richard Michell Upjohn, FAIA, was an influential American architect, co-founder and president of the American Institute of Architects.-Early life and career:...
.
The original location of this church was one of the most attractive in New York. It stood on the eastern side of St. John's Park
St. John's Park
St. John's Park is a square in TriBeCa, Manhattan, New York City. It is currently bounded by Laight, Varick, Beach and Hudson Streets. The square has been used for many different purposes since the colonization of New Amsterdam in the early 17th century....
whose embowered walks were a favorite recreational spot for the well-to-do residents of the neighbourhood. In the early 1870s the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
secured the park for a downtown freight terminal. This unfortunate occurrence changed the character of the residential section nearby undesirable influences a location were felt for many blocks in every direction. What had been a neighborhood of aristocratic dwellings was reduced to a slovenly purlieu of ramshackle buildings.
The congregation left in the 1890s and the structure was torn down in 1918. It was cleared during a road-widening scheme for New York City’s Varick Street
Varick Street
Varick Street runs north-south in the Manhattan borough of New York City. Varick Street originates in TriBeCa, at the intersection of Leonard Street and West Broadway. It runs through the western portions of TriBeCa, Hudson Square and the West Village, where it merges with Seventh Avenue South...
. City officials wanted to allow the portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
to protrude into the widened street and vault the flanking pedestrian sidewalk under it because they recognized the steeple’s importance as a landmark. The Episcopal Church instead decided to demolish the building.