St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
Encyclopedia
St. John's Episcopal Church
, West Hartford, Connecticut
, is located at 679 Farmington Avenue near the Hartford, Connecticut
, city line. The parish was founded in 1841 as St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
. The church's present building, designed by famed architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, opened in 1909. It is noted for its reredos and high altar designed by Mr.Goodhue and executed by prominent sculptor Lee Lawrie
, its many fine stained glass windows, and its organ, Opus 2761 by Austin Organs, Inc.
, with 64 ranks, and 3721 pipes..
was founded in 1841, in downtown Hartford, Connecticut
. Its first building was designed by Henry Austin (architect)
. An activist organization, St. John's was instrumental in the development of other prominent Hartford area churches including the Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
(Hartford, Connecticut
), St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
, and St. Monica's, the second Episcopal
congregation in the state for African American
s. As the nineteenth century progressed, the western suburbs became increasingly popular as a place for city dwellers to live with the result that the number of St. John's worshipers was in decline. In 1907, financier J. P. Morgan
purchased the church building and its property for the construction of a memorial gallery to be added to Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum
. St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
then moved to suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
which was undergoing steady growth.
, and the last St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Mt. Kisco, New York)
with each having a measure of similarity in the look of their exteriors and interiors. St. John's West Hartford held its first service in the new building on Easter Sunday, 1909.
As initially built, St. John's consisted of the church and a small office wing. Mr. Goodhue's plan for the site included a number of additional features which evolved during subsequent upgrades. In 1914-5 a small parish house with an auditorium was added to the structure and in 1922-3 a reredos and high altar designed by Mr. Goodhue and executed by sculptor Lee Lawrie
were made part of a significant improvement to St. John's interior. A major facilities upgrade occurred in 1927 with the addition of two bays to the church to alleviate overcrowding, the construction of a large parish house with an adjacent cloister garden, and the installation of an outdoor pulpit built into a Peace Cross. 1955 brought the addition of a chapel, with its own pipe organ, to hold the burgeoning church school.
In October, 1992, a fire caused by spontaneous combustion did millions of dollars of damage to the church's interior and exterior including the complete destruction of the stained glass window over the reredos (which itself was lightly affected), the auditorium, the 1950 Austin Organ, and its antiphonal of 1978. Other smoke and fire damage occurred throughout the structure including the roof over the chancel and parts of the parish house. Church leaders moved forward to restore Mr. Goodhue's original designs as much as possible and to rejuvenate the infrastructure of the 83 year old building. It reopened with a new altar window, auditorium and organ, along with a large number of replaced or refurbished furnishings, for services in 1995.
and Kirk Stevan Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
.
Notable musicians affiliated with St. John's (West Hartford) include organist and choirmaster Clarence E. Watters (1929-1932 and 1952-1976) who was one of Marcel Dupré
's "first and most enduring disciples-exponents-friends", and with whom Watters studied in Paris
. "One of [the 20th] century’s greatest organ virtuosos", Watters counted Charles-Marie Widor
and other prominent organist/composers in his circle of friends and close associates.
Notable people related to St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
are found at that Wikipedia
entry.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, is located at 679 Farmington Avenue near the Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, city line. The parish was founded in 1841 as St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
The parish of St. John's Episcopal Church, Hartford, Connecticut, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin , was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church .-Congregation...
. The church's present building, designed by famed architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, opened in 1909. It is noted for its reredos and high altar designed by Mr.Goodhue and executed by prominent sculptor Lee Lawrie
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie was one of the United States' foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II...
, its many fine stained glass windows, and its organ, Opus 2761 by Austin Organs, Inc.
Austin Organs, Inc.
Austin Organs, Inc. is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States...
, with 64 ranks, and 3721 pipes..
Congregation history
St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
The parish of St. John's Episcopal Church, Hartford, Connecticut, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin , was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church .-Congregation...
was founded in 1841, in downtown Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Its first building was designed by Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin was a prominent and prolific American architect based in New Haven, Connecticut. He practiced for more than fifty years and designed many public buildings and homes primarily in the New Haven area...
. An activist organization, St. John's was instrumental in the development of other prominent Hartford area churches including the Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House is a historic church at 155 Wyllys Street in Hartford, Connecticut.It was built in 1867 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.-References:...
(Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
), St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church is a High Victorian Gothic architecture church at 1160 Main Street in East Hartford, Connecticut. It was designed by Edward T. Potter and was built in 1867....
, and St. Monica's, the second Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
congregation in the state for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. As the nineteenth century progressed, the western suburbs became increasingly popular as a place for city dwellers to live with the result that the number of St. John's worshipers was in decline. In 1907, financier J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
purchased the church building and its property for the construction of a memorial gallery to be added to Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
. St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
The parish of St. John's Episcopal Church, Hartford, Connecticut, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin , was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church .-Congregation...
then moved to suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
which was undergoing steady growth.
Present church building
The land for the current site, located adjacent to the main trolley line west from Hartford, was donated by longtime parishioners Dr. Thomas B. and John O. Enders. The firm of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson was hired to design the new building with the assignment going to their New York Office headed by Mr. Goodhue. St. John's was the middle of three Episcopal churches designed by the New York Office in a relatively short period of time. The first was Christ Church in West Haven, ConnecticutWest Haven, Connecticut
West Haven is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 52,721.-History:...
, and the last St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Mt. Kisco, New York)
St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Mt. Kisco, New York)
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church at the junction of N. Bedford Rd. and E. Main Street in Mt. Kisco, Westchester County, New York. It was designed by noted architect Bertram Goodhue in 1907 and built from 1909 to 1913 in the late Gothic Revival style. The church was...
with each having a measure of similarity in the look of their exteriors and interiors. St. John's West Hartford held its first service in the new building on Easter Sunday, 1909.
As initially built, St. John's consisted of the church and a small office wing. Mr. Goodhue's plan for the site included a number of additional features which evolved during subsequent upgrades. In 1914-5 a small parish house with an auditorium was added to the structure and in 1922-3 a reredos and high altar designed by Mr. Goodhue and executed by sculptor Lee Lawrie
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie was one of the United States' foremost architectural sculptors and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II...
were made part of a significant improvement to St. John's interior. A major facilities upgrade occurred in 1927 with the addition of two bays to the church to alleviate overcrowding, the construction of a large parish house with an adjacent cloister garden, and the installation of an outdoor pulpit built into a Peace Cross. 1955 brought the addition of a chapel, with its own pipe organ, to hold the burgeoning church school.
In October, 1992, a fire caused by spontaneous combustion did millions of dollars of damage to the church's interior and exterior including the complete destruction of the stained glass window over the reredos (which itself was lightly affected), the auditorium, the 1950 Austin Organ, and its antiphonal of 1978. Other smoke and fire damage occurred throughout the structure including the roof over the chancel and parts of the parish house. Church leaders moved forward to restore Mr. Goodhue's original designs as much as possible and to rejuvenate the infrastructure of the 83 year old building. It reopened with a new altar window, auditorium and organ, along with a large number of replaced or refurbished furnishings, for services in 1995.
Notable people
Among St. John's (West Hartford)'s many notable clergy have been two assistants who later became Bishops: Walter Henry Gray of the Episcopal Diocese of ConnecticutEpiscopal Diocese of Connecticut
The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the entire state of Connecticut. It is one of the nine original dioceses of the Episcopal Church and one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1.Its first bishop,...
and Kirk Stevan Smith of the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
Episcopal Diocese of Arizona
The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America which has jurisdiction over Arizona. It is in Province VIII.Kirk Stevan Smith is the current bishop. His seat is at Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix.-History:...
.
Notable musicians affiliated with St. John's (West Hartford) include organist and choirmaster Clarence E. Watters (1929-1932 and 1952-1976) who was one of Marcel Dupré
Marcel Dupré
Marcel Dupré , was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Marcel Dupré was born in Rouen . Born into a musical family, he was a child prodigy. His father Albert Dupré was organist in Rouen and a friend of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, who built an organ in the family house when...
's "first and most enduring disciples-exponents-friends", and with whom Watters studied in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. "One of [the 20th] century’s greatest organ virtuosos", Watters counted Charles-Marie Widor
Charles-Marie Widor
Charles-Marie Jean Albert Widor was a French organist, composer and teacher.-Life:Widor was born in Lyon, to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there with his father, François-Charles Widor, titular organist of Saint-François-de-Sales from 1838 to 1889...
and other prominent organist/composers in his circle of friends and close associates.
Notable people related to St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
The parish of St. John's Episcopal Church, Hartford, Connecticut, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin , was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church .-Congregation...
are found at that Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
entry.