Touring Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York Spring 2024，

my wife Val's ancestors were from Brighton and her family's religion mostly is the episcopalians also called anglicanism she is extremely interested in visiting the biggest Cathedral of the Episcopal dicese St John the Divine cathedral in New York it is a famous tourist attraction in New York and is known as the largest Anglican cathedral in the world and one of the top five Christian churches in the world our couple visited this Wonder of architecture with a couple of my friends during spring 2024 the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine a Marvel of Manhattan the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan New York City stands as a remarkable Testament to architectural ambition and spiritual devotion situated at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue This Magnificent edifice is not only one of the largest cathedrals in the world but also a significant landmark in the cultural and religious landscape of the city historical context in construction the cathedral's history dates to its foundation stone being laid in 1892 designed in the Gothic Revival style St John the Divine was envisioned by the architect George Lewis Hines and his partner Christopher Grant laar the construction of the cathedral has been a protracted Endeavor marked by various interruptions due to financial constraints world events and shifts in architectural Vision although the cathedral was consecrated in 1911 it remains unfinished to this day with ongoing work that reflects the evolving nature of its artistic and spiritual Mission architectural wonders the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine is renowned for its breathtaking architectural features the structure boasts a length of 601 ft a height of 232 ft at its Central Dome and an impressive facade adorned with thintri sculptures one of its most striking elements is the great Rose window which showcases stunning stained glass Artistry that illuminates the interior with vibrant colors Additionally the cathedral houses a variety of chapels each with unique artistic Expressions including the chapel of St Ansgar and the chapel of St Martin attractions for travelers for travelers the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine offers a multifaceted experience visitors are drawn not only to its architectural Grandeur but also to its Rich tapestry of cultural events including concerts art exhibitions and religious Services the cathedral's Tranquil Gardens provide a Serene Retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city while its extensive collection of art and artifacts invites exploration and reflection moreover the cathedral's commitment to social justice and community outreach resonates with many visitors making it a place of both spiritual and social significance guided tours are available allowing guests to delve deeper into a history architecture and ongoing projects thus fostering a greater appreciation for this extraordinary institution in conclusion the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine is an architectural Marvel that encapsulates the spirit of New York City its location history and artistic wonders make it a compelling destination for travelers seeking to experience the intersection of Faith art and Community as the cathedral continues to evolve it remains a symbol of Hope hope and resilience inviting all to witness its Grandeur and partake in its Mission you very tall the cathedral is an unfinished building with only 2third of the proposed Building completed due to several major stylistic changes work interruptions and stable ground on the site the original design in the Byzantine Revival and Romanesque Revival Styles began Construction in 1892 after the opening of The Crossing in 1909 the overall plan was changed to a Gothic Revival design the completion of the Nave was delayed until 1941 due to various funding shortfalls and little progress has occurred since then except for an addition to the tower at the nave's southwest corner after a large fire damaged part of the cathedal cedral in 2001 it was renovated and rededicated in 2008 the towers above the Western elevation of the facade as well as the Southern transip and a proposed steeple above the crossing have not been completed despite being incomplete the Cathedral of St John the Divine is the world's fourth largest church by area and either the largest or second largest Anglican cathedral a the floor area of St John's is 121,000 square ft 11,200 square meters spanning a length of 601 ft 183 M while the roof height of the Nave is 177 ft 54 M since the cathedral's interior is so large it has been used for hundreds of events and art exhibitions in addition the Cathedral of St John the Divine has been involved in various advocacy initiatives throughout its history the cathedral close includes numerous buildings the leak and Watts orphan Asylum building the cathedral proper the St Faith's house The Choir School the Deery and The Bishop's house the buildings are designed in several different styles and were built over prolonged periods of construction with the leak and Watts orphan Asylum predating the cathedral itself the cathedral Clos was collectively designated an official City landmark by the New York City landmarks preservation Commission in 2017 Cathedral history the neighborhood of Morningside Heights was thinly settled in the in the 17th century by the Dutch then by the British two it remained rural through the mid 19th century with two exceptions the first was the Bloomingdale insane asylum no longer extant which opened on the site of the Columbia University campus near 116th Street in 1821 the other was leak in Watts orphan Asylum bounded by 110th Street to the South and 113th Street to the north which later became the current Cathedral site three five the Le and Watts Asylum was incorporated in 1831 under Act of the New York State Legislature and 3 years later 25 acres 10 hectares land at the corner of Bloomingdale Road now Broadway and 110th Street was purchased from the Bloomingdale Asylum the initial plans for the Asylum were drawn up by aeal town but were revised several times to keep the costs within the asylum's budget three the Cornerstone of the Asylum was laid in 1838 and it was completed in 1843 need for a cathedral meanwhile the Episcopal dases of New York started to grow in the early 19th century there were 26 Episcopal parishes in the City by 1800 and a decade later that number had nearly doubl to 50 in 1828 the first proposal for a grand Cathedral for the dicese was made by Bishop John Henry Hobart who proposed a site near Washington Square Park the church would be called the Cathedral of St John the the Divine or St John's Cathedral for short after the Revelation by John of padmos also called John the Divine the 14 the plans were canceled because of objections over erecting such a large building for the dasis a derivative of the Church of England even as many New Yorkers still harbored resentment over the American Revolutionary War in 1873 a cathedral Board of Trustees was established under Bishop oratio Potter the board decided on property speee for [Music] south of Central Park bounded by 59th Street to the north and 57th Street to the South however the purchase was cancelled after the wbe donors lost their Savings in the Panic of 1873 yet another plot of land at 8th Avenue in 74th Street was offered to the church in 1882 but rejected due to the high cost of acquisition by 1890 there were 4 ,000 episcopalians in Manhattan and episcopalians made up the largest block of Protestants in the burough furthermore many imposing institutions were being built in New York City such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Carnegie Hall Metropolitan Opera House and the American Museum of Natural History site selection when Henry C Potter Horatio Potter's nephew became the dases of New York's assistant Bishop in 1883 he convened the trustees to look for an at site on June 1st 1887 Henry Potter publicly announced his intention to build St John's though the exact location was still to be determined Potter described the planned Cathedral as an American Westminster Abbey that would rival the Catholic St Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan 1223 in his announcement Potter called on New Yorkers to give funds toward the new cathedral which was expected to cost $10 million the plans for the cathedral were well received by both Protestants and non-protestant as well as the media and other denominational leaders the donors included the wealthy Aster Vanderbilt and Belmont families Additionally the barbarini family's tapestries were gifted to the cathedral in 1891 numerous sites in Manhattan were examined for the new cathedral's location and by 1889 the leak and Watts Asylum between 110th and 113th streets had been chosen as the site for the future site of St John's news media such as the New York Times and Uptown visitor praised the decision as the site was located on a high point overlooking Central and Morningside Parks the committee had wanted to build slightly further north on a more elevated plot between 106th Street to the South and 119th Street to the north however that plot would be too difficult to acquire as ownership of that track was divided among several entities by contrast the leak and Watts Asylum had full control over their entire city block 29 30 the 11.5 acre 4.7 hectares Asylum site was deeded to the cathedral in October 1891 and the Asylum moved to Westchester County New York the Asylum site was then acquired for $850,000 at the time Morningside Heights was quickly being developed as a residential neighborhood surrounded by numerous higher education institutions three five the proposed cathedral's elevated location would have been visible from New Jersey across the Hudson River to the West as well as from the New York Bay to the South 33 architectural rendering of the cathedrals designed for Hines and LaFarge Architects 1891 Cathedral of St John the Divine in 1910 simultaneously there was also debate over the new cathedral style because of the larger plot and more remote location from Midtown Manhattan it was expected to be more elaborate than St Patrick's 18 the trustees had formed a committee on architecture in conjunction with William Robert wear a Columbia architecture Professor which held a design competition for St John that involved several prominent architectural firms though everyone was free to enter the competition 14 firms and Architects were paid $500 each to create designs for the cathedral the deadline for each plan was January 1889 that may the Board of Trustees formed a committee to review the more than 60 designs that had been submitted many of the competitors were American though only four were experienced in Cathedral construction the board members then discussed the designs privately some Architects expressed concerns about the secret consultations since the trustees generally did not have knowledge of architectural design the competition was narrowed down to four finalists namely these were gona by William a Potter and Rh Robertson three Arabesque Scrolls within a circle by George lhin and Christopher Grant LaFarge with William winp Kent look at the Gold the gold yeah beautiful very very very a you see DG by George M hus and JH buck and Jerusalem the golden by William hywood gerona used the gothic style based on Spanish Cathedrals Andi and Jerusalem the golden were in a regular Gothic style and three Arabesque Scrolls was mainly Byzantine Potter and Robertson were the only one of the four finalists who had significant experience at the time and the trustees had agreed not to release any designs without the consent of all competitors although some contestants broke the agreement Anyway by revealing their designs to the media 33 the finalists were given more than a year to refine the details of their plans the original deadline was set for February 1890 but was later extended to November 43 after a failed proposal to host the world's Colombian Exposition in Morningside Park 42 the submissions were placed in public view in April 1891 by then the public was losing interest in the competition and the finalist designs mainly received negative criticism planel elected in July 1891 the plant selection committee chose Hines and lefar plan as the winning proposal the design had been the trustees second choice although the trustees liked Potter and Robertson's plan more W Potter was The Bishop's half brother and the trustees did not want to be accused of nepotism to Kent's consternation he was initially not recognized as a co-collaborator and would not be acknowledged as such until the following year the group's blueprints called for ch app and end sections with absis a Crossing containing four round arches as well as a dome topped by a massive Tower and transits with round edges the interior was based upon Boston's Trinity Church and the crossing was based upon Istanbul's haia Sophia venice's St Mark Basilica and the perer cathedral the Exotic design was seen as an example of the unusual architecture that was prevalent at that time it was also Hines and lefar first major commiss The Firm later designed structures such as the Aster Court buildings at the Bronx Zoo as well as the early Stations of the andboro rapid transit company the first operator of the present day New York City subway that October the trustees directed The Firm to revise their design further the following month it was announced that work would begin in early 1892 provided that Hines and LaFarge submitted their revised plans that April the original plans were then substantially revised vised because the Board of Trustees wanted a Gothic style appearance the Western Towers were modified to remove the spires and enlarge the windows and various Gothic details were placed on the facade the Nave was realigned from north south to East West so that the apps would face East in the direction of the sunrise to represent the resurrection of Jesus as per Episcopal tradition Hines and LaFarge objected to the realignment because it would result in the cathedral being hidden behind other buildings in the final plan three Arabesque Scrolls Incorporated both Byzantine and Romanesque influences with Gothic detailing on the exterior outwardly the design resembled the amdg plan from hus and buck by April 1892 the trustees had raised much of the $850,000 required for land acquisition though there still remained a deficit of $175,000 construction and early years construction on the Cathedral of St John the Divine was begun with the Cornerstone laying ceremony on December 27th 1892 St John's day 1,000 tickets for seats at the ceremony were distributed though the actual attendance was 1,100 the Cornerstone contained various objects such as a Bible and church papers 61 Potter hit the stone three times with a mallet and said other Foundation can no man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ the following month the remaining $175,000 for land acquisition had been secured and the teses moved to take title to the land including the cathedral close surround the cathedral's main building in April unlike the main building the cathedral close was not designed under a single master plan and during the 1890s and 1900s several proposals would be made for the site initial construction actual work on St John's began in early 1893 the trustees initially expected that work would proceed quickly because much of the morning side Heights Plateau was made of shallow Bedrock however in September 1893 Builders unexpectedly hit pockets of soft Shale and an underground spring at several locations about 40 ft 12 M below ground one of these Pockets was located directly below the site for one of the four peers that were to support the cathedral's massive 445t 136 M Stone Tower the trustees briefly considered moving the entire Cathedral slightly Southward they ultimately decided against moving the cathedral believing it to be in auspicious if the Cornerstone were to be moved instead Builders drilled several deep shafts until they hit the Bedrock then poured concrete pits within each shaft the pits would then accommodate the construction of the tower's peers the layer of Bedrock was in some cases 72 2 ft 22 M beneath ground level the pits were completed in late 1895 at a significantly higher cost than originally estimated by 1898 St John's had cost an estimated $750,000 and as per an 1896 estimate the cathedral was projected to cost at least $5 million when complete as a temporary measure the Tiffany Chapel was purchased in mid 1898 so that Services could be held there the chapel was placed in the Crypt within the basement the first Services were held in January 1899 within the Tiffany Chapel The Crossing arches located in the cathedral plot's Eastern portion were completed the following year though three of The Arches were temporarily sealed off until the transcept and Nave could David's grandparents when they went to church in England they have a pocket for oh himels for song books oh yeah yeah and prayer books yeah and they chose Trinity Church in Hartford because they had cheers like this he you see this I show you something this window you see this so beautiful you see you see yeah I saw very beautiful you see the window very this window excellent this be completed by then some $2 million had already been spent even though little appeared to have been completed despite large donations from prominent figures such as financiers John Jacob Aster 4 and William Waldorf Aster Governor Levi P Morton Banker JP Morgan and businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt the trustees contined to raise funds in March 1903 the trustees announced that the next stage of St John's construction would require $500,000 for building the choir and $200,000 for completing the Loft and that eight massive Granite columns would need to be procured to support the roof over the choir furthermore the trustees would build three arches to support the rest of the roof the choir columns sourced from Vinyl Haven Maine were each 54t 16 M tall with a 6t 1.8m diameter at the time they were the world's second largest stone columns but because of their size three of The Columns were cracked while being turned the columns were then transported using a specially constructed barge towed by the large steam tug claric Clarita 88 when the columns arrived at Manhattan in July and August 1903 they were rolled onto flatbed trucks and brought to the cathedral site since the builders did not have a Derek that was strong enough to lift the column pieces they placed another order for wood to build a strong enough Derek The Columns were finally lifted in July 1904 more than a year after the initial announcement the walls could not be placed until after the columns had been installed work also began in 1903 on the crossing SE ceiling which was to contain guastavino tiles designed by Spanish architect Rafael guastavino the Board of Trustees implemented a new Charter in early 1904 which provided for greater representation of lay people on the board by 1905 with $800,000 available for construction the trustees anticipated that the cathedral would be completed within a decade the church's great organ was ordered from Skinner the following year at a cost of $50,000 following a gift by the morn family it was almost completed by 1911 with nearly 7,000 pipes the cost of the organ had risen to $70,000 work also continued on the exterior walls of the choir and the Seven surrounding chapels in the apps which required 100,000 short tons 91,000 T of granite Builders estimated that 300,000 short tons 270,000 T of stone would have been used for the walls once work was completed gson Borum was commissioned for some of the initial sculptural elements on St John's though his relation with the trustees was strained he destroyed two angels after criticism of his work and threatened to quit in 1906 because of the delays in construction members of the public began to question the necessity of constructing such a large Cathedral with little progress to show for public sentiment began to turn against the cathedral even the trustees started to have doubts about certain aspects of the plan criticizing Hines and lear's small staff their simultaneous involvement in many other projects slow construction and cost overruns Crossing opening and change in design although Hines died in 1907 LaFarge continued to design The Crossing choir and apps of St John's by then the architectural preferences of the public were shifting away from the original design additionally communication between lafar and the trustees were deteriorating with several trustees calling for lafarge's removal the choir was covered in 1908 and the crossing was installed the next year the choir was nearly complete by October 1909 but there were insufficient funds to complete its construction delaying its opening by at least 6 months at that time St John's was earning about $24,000 per year and had a $500,000 endowment while at least $1 million was needed to complete Construction in March 1911 trustees finally confirmed an opening date of April 19th 1911 the first service in the choir and crossing the consecration of the choir occurred as scheduled on that day the completed portions of the cathedral were widely praised though few newspapers devoted extensive coverage to the event except the New York Herald 107 a month after the choir's consecration the trustees suddenly fired lafar commissioning Ralph Adams cram to take lafarge's place as lead architect of St John's the trustees had exercised a clause in their contract with Hines and LaFarge enabling them to hire another architect if either partner were to die LaFarge was not made aware of the matter beforehand and was only notified via a cable scent by his partner Benjamin wiam morrris the original Byzantine Romanesque design was changed to a Gothic design and crem was asked to convert many existing features to Gothic style the move was criticized in the local media who claimed that the trustees in crem had been conspiring to eject lefar from the lead architect position however the New York Sun reported that cram had only reluctantly accepted the commission because the trustees had threatened to hire a foreign architect otherwise crem presented a master plan for the cathedral closes buildings in October 1911 and his revised designs for the main structure were completed in 1913 regardless there was still not enough money to complete the cathedral's construction as the New York Episcopal dicese Cathedral League had mentioned in 1912 that $5.5 million was still needed

the dicese was able to construct several structures to the south of the main building see Cathedral close as part of a plan that had been approved by the trustees in late 1911 these structures included the St Faith's house 1909 Senate house 1911 to 1913 Cathedral School 1912 to 1913 and Cathedral house 1912 to 1914 Nave and North transip by January 1916 Bishop David H Greer announced that the dases would construct St John's Nave and narx along with a pair of towers on the western elevation of the facade above the nxs the project would cost $1.5 million even though St John's only had about $200,000 on hand as of June 1915 a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nave was held on May 8th 1916 that November construction stopped due to material and funding shortages during World War I and the trustees had decided against raising funds until after the war cram edited his plans in the interim in February 1919 the trustees approved cram's revised plan to incorporate a memorial for soldiers he knew plans requ acquired 5 to6 million but would make St John's the third or fourth largest worldwide the cathedral did not yet have the money to build the Nave and furthermore in 1920 the trustees decided not to hold fundraising drives for said purpose because of an unstable economy work did not resume for another four years though both Greer and Bishop Charles suar bur supported the project in 1923 burch's successor William T Manning announced a 15 $ million Capital campaign to raise money for this project the New York Campaign Committee headed by then Governor Franklin D Roosevelt campaigned from 1923 to 1925 to raise $6 million equivalent to $17 million in 2023 by May 1924 Manning announced that $2.5 million had been donated within the previous 3 months and that work on the Nave would soon begin if that rate of donation were to continue St John's was seeking price estimates for the nave's construction by that November and the baptistry was donated the same year some $7.7 million had been raised by February 1925 and the laying of the nave's Cornerstone occurred on November 9th 1925 Manning wanted the cathedral to be an interdenominational place of worship but was still reluctant to add other denominations members to The Board of Trustees notably Manning rejected a request from John D Rockefeller Jr a Baptist despite the latter's $500,000 donation toward the cathedral's building fund in January 1927 Manning announced that the trustees had approved cram's proposal for a square Tower above the crossing the tower would replace the dome which did not conform to the gothic style with sides of 60 ft 18 M the tower would be half as wide as the Arches below it cram's blueprint revisions public in 1929 entailed building the 300t tall 91m Square Tower over the crossing and adding two portals to the Western elevation additionally St John's Northern transip began Construction in December 1927 since the funds for that transip were donated solely by women it was called the women's transip work on the women's transip was halted in October 1930 due to a lack of funds construction at St John's was otherwi wise unaffected by the Great Depression during this duration work was concentrated mainly on the western elevation when construction of the women's transip resumed in 1934 the Nave and the Western elevation were nearly complete except for the two towers above the Western facade but work on the crossing Tower and South transip had yet to commence by 1938 the Nave was completed but the temporary Construction Wall between the Nave and Crossing was still in place because the Byzantine Romanesque Crossings design had yet to be harmonized with the gothic Nave as such crem subsequently replaced the portions of the ceiling above the choir and the absis Eastern section Additionally the Nave started to be used for services even though it had not yet been dedicated the 1939 WPA guide to New York City stated that $20 million had been spent on the cathedral by then for

2024-11-14 07:09

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