Church of St. Michael (34th Street, Manhattan)

Last updated
The Church of St. Michael
Michael RCC 424 W34 jeh.jpg
Looking south across 34th Street (2019)
Church of St. Michael (34th Street, Manhattan)
General information
Town or city New York City, New York
Country United States
Completed1907
Client Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Design and construction
Architect(s) Napoleon LeBrun & Sons
Website
Church of St. Michael the Archangel

The Church of St. Michael is a parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 424 West 34th Street, in Manhattan, New York City.

Contents

Churches

Original location

The parish was founded in 1857 as an offshoot of the Church of St. Columba and Holy Cross Church, with boundaries from "28th to 38th Street and from 6th Avenue to the banks of the Hudson." [1] The community initially met in a chapel structure of renovated townhouses. The original church plan was begun in 1861 and completed in 1868, with a front on 31st Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. The church was built in phases surrounding the chapel and without disturbing services there. When finally completed according to the original plans, it was 80 feet (24 m) wide by 200 feet (61 m) long and had a stone facade and 105-foot (32 m) high tower on 31st Street and an interior nuns' gallery on two sides. It was designed by the founding pastor, Arthur J. Donnelly (1820–1890), and architect T.S. Wall. The church complex also consisted of a rectory, convent and schools, the latter designed by architect Lawrence J. O'Connor, FAIA. During 1874–1884, the complex was the original home of the Presentation Sisters in the northeastern United States, and enrollment grew to become the largest parochial schools in New York. The Sisters and the parish also founded the Mount Saint Michael Home for destitute children, in Greenridge, Staten Island. [2] The Manhattan church contained an 1862 Henry Erben mechanical action organ. [3] On May 4, 1892, a fire destroyed much of the church and the organ.

Second location

O'Connor was contracted to design a new structure which incorporated the original tower and acquired a new Indiana bluff limestone facade on 32nd Street. Other details include a roof elevated six feet (two metres) higher than the original church, a vaulted ceiling, aisles with groined arches, fourteen Munich stained glass windows, and a gallery in the form of a choir loft with a new 1893 Odell organ at the rear of the church. [3] The blessing Mass was scheduled for Sunday, January 28, 1894. The total dimensions were 75 feet (23 m) wide by 200 feet (61 m) long. In 1892, the address was listed at 408 West 32nd Street. [4]

Third location

In 1904, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company began proceedings for the construction of the North River Tunnels and Pennsylvania Station, which would require the demolition of St. Michael's 32nd Street church and complex. At the suggestion of the pastor, John A. Gleeson, the Archdiocese sold the parish properties in exchange for a new church, school, convent, and rectory on 34th Street. The office of Napoleon LeBrun & Sons was responsible for the construction of the new complex, which involved the salvage and re-use of the altar, organ, stained glass windows, and limestone facade. The church was dedicated November 10, 1907. It was described at the time as Romanesque, 75 feet (23 m) wide by 200 feet (61 m) deep and 60 feet (18 m) high. It also had a 2,000-person basement chapel with an 18-foot-high (5.5 m) ceiling. [2]

In June 2018, Pastor George W. Rutler dedicated a shrine in the church to Our Lady of Aradin for persecuted Christians. [5] The church underwent renovations in 2019, including a new red oak baldachin designed by Patrick Alles, which received the McKim, Mead & White Award for Craftsmanship and Artisanship from the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. [6] [7]

Religious vocations

St. Michael's parish and schools have produced hundreds of priests and religious vocations, including at least two bishops: Daniel Joseph Curley and Thomas John McDonnell. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Raphael's Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, United States

St. Raphael's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Dubuque, Iowa. The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in the state of Iowa. The cathedral church, rectory, former convent, and former parochial school building are contributing properties in the Cathedral Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Heart Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, United States

Sacred Heart Cathedral, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Diocese of Davenport. The cathedral is located on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River to the east of Downtown Davenport. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral Complex. This designation includes the church building, rectory, and the former convent, which was torn down in 2012. The cathedral is adjacent to the Cork Hill Historic District, also on the National Register. Its location on Cork Hill, a section of the city settled by Irish immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of St. Joseph (Hartford, Connecticut)</span> Historic church in Connecticut, United States

The Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut, United States, is the mother church and seat of the Archdiocese of Hartford. Dedicated on May 15, 1962, it stands on the site of the old cathedral which had been destroyed in a fire. It is located on Farmington Avenue just outside downtown Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Shrine of St. Alphonsus Liguori</span> Historic church in Maryland, United States

St. Alphonsus Church, Rectory, Convent and Halle, also known as St. John Neumann Shrine and "Baltimore's Powerhouse of Prayer," is a historic Roman Catholic church complex located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Since 1992, the parish has held regular Tridentine Masses. It is currently administered by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church (Queens)</span>

St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Diocese of Brooklyn, located at Woodside, Queens, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, USA

St. Mary's Catholic Church was a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church building is located in the west end of Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of Fillmore and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex. The designation includes the church building and rectory on the west side of Fillmore Street, and the former parochial school building and convent on the east side. A former school building operated by the parish two blocks north on West Eighth Street is also on the National Register and is listed as St. Mary's Academy. The parish ceased operations in July 2020 when it was merged into St. Anthony's Church downtown. The parish campus is being acquired by the nonprofit organization Humility Homes & Services, which is operated by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints Church (Manhattan)</span> Building in New York, United States

The Church of All Saints is a historic former Catholic church in the Archdiocese of New York, located at 47 East 129th Street, at the corner of Madison Avenue in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary Church (Grand Street, Manhattan)</span> Building in New York City, United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York, United States

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located three blocks south of Fordham University at the corner of Belmont Avenue and 627 East 187th Street, Fordham, the Bronx, New York City, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine's Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York City, United States

The Church of St. Augustine was a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It was located at 1183 Franklin Avenue between East 167th Street and East 168th Street in the Morrisania neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. St. Augustine's merged with Our Lady of Victory to form the parish of St. Augustine - Our Lady of Victory. St. Augustine's was closed in 2011 and demolished in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Barnabas' Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York City, United States

The Church of St. Barnabas is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at Martha Avenue near East 241st Street in Woodlawn Heights, The Bronx, New York City. The parish was established in July 1910 by the Rev. Michael A. Reilly, separated from the Bronx parish of St. Frances of Rome. It is one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese.

St. Margaret of Cortona's Church is a parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 6000 Riverdale Avenue in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Conception Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York, United States

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 754 Gun Hill Road, Williamsbridge, Bronx, New York City, New York. The parish was established in 1902–1903. The parish is currently run by Capuchin friars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Peter's Church (Poughkeepsie, New York)</span> Building in New York, United States of America

The Old Church of St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church established under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York in 1837. It is the second oldest Catholic Church on the Hudson and is considered the Mother Church of the Hudson Valley because from it all the parishes in Ulster and Dutchess counties were founded. The church is also referred to as Our Lady of Mount Carmel since 1965 when St. Peter's parish relocated to Hyde Park, New York and the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel church relocated to site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Clare's Church (Staten Island)</span> Church in NY , United States

The Church of Saint Clare, located in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, is the largest-membership parish under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It is dedicated to Clare of Assisi, and it includes a co-educational PreK–8 Catholic school and Religious Education program. It became an independent parish in 1925 and has six principal buildings dating from 1921 to 1979: the church, school, converted convent, parish center, chapel, and rectory. St. Clare's has received national attention for its architecture, its educational programs, its heavy casualties from the September 11 attacks, and its two pastors lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Incarnation, Roman Catholic (Manhattan)</span> Building in New York, United States

The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Blaise is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, located at Nostrand Avenue and Lincoln Road, in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City, New York 11225.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (Indianapolis)</span> Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Fourteenth and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and of the Archbishop of Indianapolis, most recently Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. Silas Chatard, the first Bishop of Indianapolis, established the cathedral parish in 1892, and named it after Saint Peter and Saint Paul, two apostles of Christ. The cathedral parish became known for its liturgical celebrations and sacred music performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)</span> Historic church in Indiana, United States

Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The parish's origins date to 1837, when it was first named Holy Cross parish. In 1850 it was renamed Saint John the Evangelist parish, and is the oldest Catholic parish in the city and in Marion County, Indiana. Considered the mother of the Catholic parishes in Indianapolis, it played an important role in development of the Catholic Church in the city. Saint John's Church served as the pro-cathedral of the diocese from 1878 until 1906; its rectory served as the bishop's residence and chancery from 1878 until 1892. In 1900 the church served as the site of first episcopal consecration held in Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parish of St. Brendan and of St. Ann</span> Church in New York , United States

The Parish of St. Ann-St. Brendan is a parish of the Archdiocese of New York located in the Bronx, New York. It was created on August 1, 2015, by the merger of two previous parishes, the Shrine Church of St. Ann and the Parish of St. Brendan.

References

  1. Shea, John Gilmary, ed. (1878). The Catholic Churches of New York City. New York: Lawrence G. Goulding & Co. p. 514.
  2. 1 2 3 Browne, Henry J. (1957). The Parish of Saint Michael, 1857–1957. Archived from the original on January 26, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Church of St. Michael". New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
  4. The World Almanac (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p. 390.
  5. Abi Raad, Doreen (June 19, 2018). "Iraqi iconographer honors his Syriac roots", Catholic News Service.
  6. Schmalhofer, Stephen (November 1, 2019). "A godly gem in Hell's Kitchen", New York Post.
  7. "McKim, Mead & White Awards: Winners from 2019", ICAA.

40°45′12.36″N73°59′50.39″W / 40.7534333°N 73.9973306°W / 40.7534333; -73.9973306