St. George Episcopal Church
St. George Episcopal Church, Flushing, Queens
Prominently sited on Main Street in the heart of downtown Flushing, St. George's (Episcopal) Church is a notable example of Gothic Revival design. Erected in 185354, this impressive stone building is the congregation's third church building on the site since 1746. The large size of St. George's is indicative of the importance of Flushing as a major regional center during the nineteenth century, A rare surviving work in New York City by the leading ecclesiastical architects Wills & Dudley, St. George's is a major example of ecclesiological church architecture. A philosophical reform movement that had widespread influence on American Protestant Episcopal church design in the nineteenth century, ecclesiology sought spiritual renewal by returning to the rituals and architectural forms of the medieval church. Its architectural precepts are reflected at St. George's in the clear expression of the interior spaces in the exterior massing, in the straightforward use of the materials, and in the inclusion of certain details derived from medieval architecture, such as the high pitched roofs and lofty tapered spire, which the ecclesiologists imbued with symbolic meaning. The design is also noteworthy for handsome walls of randomly-laid granite rubble trimmed with dressed red sandstone and stained glass windows in wood tracery derived from English Perpendicular and Decorated Gothic sources. In 1894, the church was enlarged by the addition of a new chancel wing that matched the older parts of the church in materials and detailing and incorporated exceptionally fine stained glass windows. The 1907 Neo-gothic Old Parish House, designed by the prominent architect Charles C. Haigh t, complements the church building and features a skillfully composed asymmetrical design. The church and parish house are located in a landscaped churchyard that contains approximately fifty gravestones and memorials dating from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
In 1997 St. George's Parish celebrated its 235th anniversary on Main Street in Flushing. Over the years, St. George's has adapted to meet the needs of the Flushing community and remains an important neighborhood institutioa50 It now offers worship services and community programs in English, Spanish, and Chinese to its congregation that includes immigrants from Asia, South and Central America, Europe, and Africa. The churchyard, church, and Old Parish House are visual reminders of St. George's historic role in the development of Hushing and the church and Old Parish House are notable examples of Gothic Revival design.
Description
St. George's Episcopal Church complex occupies a large through-the-block comer lot that has frontages on Main Street, 38th Avenue, and 39lh Avenue. The portion of the lot occupied by the church, the Old Parish
House, the wing connecting the church and Old Parish House, the historic masonry retaining walls and iron fence, and the grounds and graveyard enclosed by the retaining walls are part of this designatioa The New Parish House (which adjoins and is connected internally to the Old Parish House and thel937 extension), the auditorium building (which adjoins and is connected internally to the church chancel and the New Parish House), the yard between the Old and New Parish Houses, and the graveyard and parking lot at the western end of the lot are not included in this designation. The Church
The Gothic Revival style church building consists of a towered entrance porch, nave with clerestory, and side aisles constructed in 1853-54. Because the church is located on the west side of Main Street, the entrance is at the east end of the building and the chancel extends to the west. The chancel wing, built in 1894, replaced the original chancel and vestry. The lower walls of the church are constructed of blue-gray Connecticut granite rubble laid in a random manner. Dressed brownstone is employed as coping for the watertable and buttresses, as string courses delineating the story levels on the tower, and as surrounds for the door and window openings. The roof, frame sidewalls of the clerestory over the nave, and the clerestory buttresses are clad with noil-historic square-cut slate shingles installed in the 1950s. (The roof was originally sheathed in polychrome diamond and fishscale slate shingles laid in a stripe pattern) All of the windows are set in wood tracery frames and contain historic stained glass. A number of modifications, notably the installation of the clerestory buttresses, were made to the building in the 1950s. Main Street Facade: The eastern facade facing Main Street is dominated by a 150 foot tower and spire that projects in front of the main body of the church. At each comer of the tower are stepped double-buttresses. The eastern and southern faces of the tower have pointed-arched entrances approached by stone steps with non-historic iron pipe rails (The front steps have been resurfaced with brownstone-coloredcement.) The south entrance to the tower retains its original paired wood doors trimmed with raised strips of wood. This door is inoperable having been walled off on the interior of the church to create a space for a memorial. The front paired paneled wood doors with decorative iron strap hinges and pointed windows with leaded-glass lights were installed after 1938. An Arts-and-Crafts-inspired metal and glass lantern hangs above the front entrance to the tower. Angled flagpoles have been attached to the front buttresses. Above the door is an arched window with finely carved Perpendicular Gothic wood tracery surround and diamond-paned stained leaded-glass lights. The front of the tower is also articulated by a blind rondel. Small lancet windows pierce the north and south faces of the tower lighting the staircase to the bell chamber at the top of the tower. The chamber is lit on all four sides of the tower by large arched openings with wood louvered blinds in tracery surrounds. A low parapet extends along the top of the tower; each comer is marked by a [non-historic] stone pyramid installed in the 1950s to replace the original brownstone pinnacles. The broached spire is constructed of wood sheathing covered by historic wood shingles; it is crowned by a cross.
Behind the tower, the front face of each side aisle is lit by a large Tudor arch window with stained glass lights set in a tripartite tracery surround. Non-historic wire mesh security gates have been installed at these windows. Brownstone moldings at the watertable and stepped buttresses at the corners also add decorative interest to this facade.
North Facade: The north side aisle is divided into six bays by stepped buttresses. The easternmost bay is an enclosed entrance porch with steeply sloping gabled roof. Stepped buttresses flank the arched doorway which is approached by two masonry steps and contains paneled doors that match the post-1938 doors in the tower. Small lancet windows with diamond-paned stained glass lights pierce the side walls of the porch. Metal flashing extends along the ridge of the porch roof. The eaves of the gable are set off with molded wood trim and the armless remnants of a brownstone cross is set above the apex of the gable. Each of the other bays contains an arched window with stained glass set in a multipaned wood tracery surround. The fixed upper lights in each window have been covered with protective glazing. The small horizontal lights at the base of the windows are operable. Reading east to west, the bottom lights in the first bay are hoppers, in the second bay they are hinged at the top, and in the other bays they are set on horizontal pivots. Molded wood trim extends along the eaves of the sloping aisle roof. At the second bay (reading east to west) there is a non-historic mstal hatch with paired doors providing access to the church cellar. At the western end of the aisle, a gate has been attached to the sixth buttress to screen off the yard between the chancel, New Parish House, and auditorium.
Originally faced with wood siding laid flush, the side walls of the clerestory are now clad with square-cut slate shingles. Each bay has its original tripartite
wood surround with three cusped lights. These contain stained quarry glass with center decorative panels featuring geometric designs. The center window in each bay is operable, the outer lights are fixed. The triangular buttresses between the bays were installed in the 1950s. The buttresses, aisle roof, and steeply pitched nave roof are covered with square cut grey slate. Molded wood trim extends along the eaves of the steeply pitched nave roof. The ridge of the roof is covered with metal flashing and there is a small cross set above the apex of the western gable. South Facade: The design of the south aisle and clerestory are identical with those of the north facade except that the lower ground level necessitated the use of four rather than two steps at porch entrance. The steps have non-historic iron pipe rails and are lit by a metal and glass lantern. The crocketed cross at the apex of the porch roof retains its original form but has been patched with stucco. The window configuration is almost identical with that of the north facade except that the second aisle bay (reading east to west) contains a pair of vertical pivoting lights set beneath fixed lancets. The other operable aisle windows are set on horizontal pivots.
Chancel Wing: Located at the western end of the church, the thirty-five-foot deep chancel wing was erected in 1894. Constructed of the same materials and designed in the same style as the original portions of the church, the chancel was almost as tall and wide as the nave and had a steeply pitched gabled roof covered with slate shingles. It was flanked by wings containing the vestry, choir room, and other ancillary spaces. These wings were slightly narrower and lower than the side aisles and originally had slate-covered shed roofs with central cross gables which set off large arched window openings. Rising above the wings, the clerestory walls of the chancel are pierced by three arched windows containing stained glass set in wood tracery surrounds. There is a magnificent traceried stained glass window on the rear (west) chancel wall. (The rear window and north clerestory windows are no longer visible from the street.)
- From the 2000 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
St. George Episcopal Church
St. George Episcopal Church, Flushing, Queens
Prominently sited on Main Street in the heart of downtown Flushing, St. George's (Episcopal) Church is a notable example of Gothic Revival design. Erected in 185354, this impressive stone building is the congregation's third church building on the site since 1746. The large size of St. George's is indicative of the importance of Flushing as a major regional center during the nineteenth century, A rare surviving work in New York City by the leading ecclesiastical architects Wills & Dudley, St. George's is a major example of ecclesiological church architecture. A philosophical reform movement that had widespread influence on American Protestant Episcopal church design in the nineteenth century, ecclesiology sought spiritual renewal by returning to the rituals and architectural forms of the medieval church. Its architectural precepts are reflected at St. George's in the clear expression of the interior spaces in the exterior massing, in the straightforward use of the materials, and in the inclusion of certain details derived from medieval architecture, such as the high pitched roofs and lofty tapered spire, which the ecclesiologists imbued with symbolic meaning. The design is also noteworthy for handsome walls of randomly-laid granite rubble trimmed with dressed red sandstone and stained glass windows in wood tracery derived from English Perpendicular and Decorated Gothic sources. In 1894, the church was enlarged by the addition of a new chancel wing that matched the older parts of the church in materials and detailing and incorporated exceptionally fine stained glass windows. The 1907 Neo-gothic Old Parish House, designed by the prominent architect Charles C. Haigh t, complements the church building and features a skillfully composed asymmetrical design. The church and parish house are located in a landscaped churchyard that contains approximately fifty gravestones and memorials dating from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
In 1997 St. George's Parish celebrated its 235th anniversary on Main Street in Flushing. Over the years, St. George's has adapted to meet the needs of the Flushing community and remains an important neighborhood institutioa50 It now offers worship services and community programs in English, Spanish, and Chinese to its congregation that includes immigrants from Asia, South and Central America, Europe, and Africa. The churchyard, church, and Old Parish House are visual reminders of St. George's historic role in the development of Hushing and the church and Old Parish House are notable examples of Gothic Revival design.
Description
St. George's Episcopal Church complex occupies a large through-the-block comer lot that has frontages on Main Street, 38th Avenue, and 39lh Avenue. The portion of the lot occupied by the church, the Old Parish
House, the wing connecting the church and Old Parish House, the historic masonry retaining walls and iron fence, and the grounds and graveyard enclosed by the retaining walls are part of this designatioa The New Parish House (which adjoins and is connected internally to the Old Parish House and thel937 extension), the auditorium building (which adjoins and is connected internally to the church chancel and the New Parish House), the yard between the Old and New Parish Houses, and the graveyard and parking lot at the western end of the lot are not included in this designation. The Church
The Gothic Revival style church building consists of a towered entrance porch, nave with clerestory, and side aisles constructed in 1853-54. Because the church is located on the west side of Main Street, the entrance is at the east end of the building and the chancel extends to the west. The chancel wing, built in 1894, replaced the original chancel and vestry. The lower walls of the church are constructed of blue-gray Connecticut granite rubble laid in a random manner. Dressed brownstone is employed as coping for the watertable and buttresses, as string courses delineating the story levels on the tower, and as surrounds for the door and window openings. The roof, frame sidewalls of the clerestory over the nave, and the clerestory buttresses are clad with noil-historic square-cut slate shingles installed in the 1950s. (The roof was originally sheathed in polychrome diamond and fishscale slate shingles laid in a stripe pattern) All of the windows are set in wood tracery frames and contain historic stained glass. A number of modifications, notably the installation of the clerestory buttresses, were made to the building in the 1950s. Main Street Facade: The eastern facade facing Main Street is dominated by a 150 foot tower and spire that projects in front of the main body of the church. At each comer of the tower are stepped double-buttresses. The eastern and southern faces of the tower have pointed-arched entrances approached by stone steps with non-historic iron pipe rails (The front steps have been resurfaced with brownstone-coloredcement.) The south entrance to the tower retains its original paired wood doors trimmed with raised strips of wood. This door is inoperable having been walled off on the interior of the church to create a space for a memorial. The front paired paneled wood doors with decorative iron strap hinges and pointed windows with leaded-glass lights were installed after 1938. An Arts-and-Crafts-inspired metal and glass lantern hangs above the front entrance to the tower. Angled flagpoles have been attached to the front buttresses. Above the door is an arched window with finely carved Perpendicular Gothic wood tracery surround and diamond-paned stained leaded-glass lights. The front of the tower is also articulated by a blind rondel. Small lancet windows pierce the north and south faces of the tower lighting the staircase to the bell chamber at the top of the tower. The chamber is lit on all four sides of the tower by large arched openings with wood louvered blinds in tracery surrounds. A low parapet extends along the top of the tower; each comer is marked by a [non-historic] stone pyramid installed in the 1950s to replace the original brownstone pinnacles. The broached spire is constructed of wood sheathing covered by historic wood shingles; it is crowned by a cross.
Behind the tower, the front face of each side aisle is lit by a large Tudor arch window with stained glass lights set in a tripartite tracery surround. Non-historic wire mesh security gates have been installed at these windows. Brownstone moldings at the watertable and stepped buttresses at the corners also add decorative interest to this facade.
North Facade: The north side aisle is divided into six bays by stepped buttresses. The easternmost bay is an enclosed entrance porch with steeply sloping gabled roof. Stepped buttresses flank the arched doorway which is approached by two masonry steps and contains paneled doors that match the post-1938 doors in the tower. Small lancet windows with diamond-paned stained glass lights pierce the side walls of the porch. Metal flashing extends along the ridge of the porch roof. The eaves of the gable are set off with molded wood trim and the armless remnants of a brownstone cross is set above the apex of the gable. Each of the other bays contains an arched window with stained glass set in a multipaned wood tracery surround. The fixed upper lights in each window have been covered with protective glazing. The small horizontal lights at the base of the windows are operable. Reading east to west, the bottom lights in the first bay are hoppers, in the second bay they are hinged at the top, and in the other bays they are set on horizontal pivots. Molded wood trim extends along the eaves of the sloping aisle roof. At the second bay (reading east to west) there is a non-historic mstal hatch with paired doors providing access to the church cellar. At the western end of the aisle, a gate has been attached to the sixth buttress to screen off the yard between the chancel, New Parish House, and auditorium.
Originally faced with wood siding laid flush, the side walls of the clerestory are now clad with square-cut slate shingles. Each bay has its original tripartite
wood surround with three cusped lights. These contain stained quarry glass with center decorative panels featuring geometric designs. The center window in each bay is operable, the outer lights are fixed. The triangular buttresses between the bays were installed in the 1950s. The buttresses, aisle roof, and steeply pitched nave roof are covered with square cut grey slate. Molded wood trim extends along the eaves of the steeply pitched nave roof. The ridge of the roof is covered with metal flashing and there is a small cross set above the apex of the western gable. South Facade: The design of the south aisle and clerestory are identical with those of the north facade except that the lower ground level necessitated the use of four rather than two steps at porch entrance. The steps have non-historic iron pipe rails and are lit by a metal and glass lantern. The crocketed cross at the apex of the porch roof retains its original form but has been patched with stucco. The window configuration is almost identical with that of the north facade except that the second aisle bay (reading east to west) contains a pair of vertical pivoting lights set beneath fixed lancets. The other operable aisle windows are set on horizontal pivots.
Chancel Wing: Located at the western end of the church, the thirty-five-foot deep chancel wing was erected in 1894. Constructed of the same materials and designed in the same style as the original portions of the church, the chancel was almost as tall and wide as the nave and had a steeply pitched gabled roof covered with slate shingles. It was flanked by wings containing the vestry, choir room, and other ancillary spaces. These wings were slightly narrower and lower than the side aisles and originally had slate-covered shed roofs with central cross gables which set off large arched window openings. Rising above the wings, the clerestory walls of the chancel are pierced by three arched windows containing stained glass set in wood tracery surrounds. There is a magnificent traceried stained glass window on the rear (west) chancel wall. (The rear window and north clerestory windows are no longer visible from the street.)
- From the 2000 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report