Saint Thomas Church (New York City, New York)

 church, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, Gothic revival (architecture), 1914_construction

5-story Gothic-revival church completed in 1914. Designed by Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, it was the fourth church built to house this congregation, which was incorporated in 1824. Lee Lawrie designed the many sculptures and decorations, most notably the 60 figures of the magnificent reredos, which is 80 feet high. A reredos is a decoration behind and above an altar. Some of the interior woodwork was by Irving & Casson. It later underwent interior alterations by Theo. Hofstatter & Co.

The church is constructed of limestone, with asymmetrical elevations ideally suited to the restricted site. This architectural scheme gives full recognition to a main entrance, on center with the nave which is beautifully wedded to a square tower at the corner. The elevations are replete with ornament. The buttresses of the square tower, as well as those on the 53rd Street side, are extremely simple and serve as beautiful foils for the elaboration of the main entrance and rose window above it.

The 5-story Parish House (formerly the rectory) nestles alongside the church on 53rd Street to the west of the chapel, and the integration of these elements is a superb accomplishment. It includes projecting bay windows at the 2nd & 3rd floors in the 2nd bay from the west, and both segmental- and pointed-arch entrances at the ground floor. The main entrance at the Fifth Avenue front has two sets of doors, atop a long and wide recessed set of steps; these are separated by a statue of St. Thomas.

Lining the recessed pointed-arch of the entrance are numerous statues of other saints, and above the doors, four panels depicting the Despair, Doubt, Confession, and Ministry of St. Thomas. More statues in niches are located above the arch and below the grand rose window, which has elaborate tracery. At the four corners framing the rose window are carvings of an ox, eagle, angel, and lion, symbols of St. Luke, St. John, St. Matthew, and St. Mark, respectively. A line of statues (mostly of bishops) runs across the top of the facade, below the elaborate turret to the north and the main tower to the south. The tower houses a Taylor carillon of 26 bells.

The church is home to the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys a choral ensemble comprising men and boys which performs music of the Anglican tradition at worship services and offers a full concert series during the course of the year. The boys of the Saint Thomas Choir (as the men are professional singers) are enrolled at the Saint Thomas Choir School, the only church-affiliated residential choir school in the United States.

The parish has hosted many notable weddings of New York high society including Consuelo Vanderbilt’s forced Marriage to Charles Spencer-Churchill, Winston Churchill’s first cousin.

www.saintthomaschurch.org/
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