| Church of Our Lady of Lourdes | |
|---|---|
| An image of the church in 1914 | |
| |
| 40°49′24″N73°56′54″W / 40.82324°N 73.94827°W | |
| Location | 463 West 142nd Street New York, New York 10031 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Website | lourdesnyc.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Founder | The Rev. Joseph H. McMahon |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Lourdes |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Peter B. Wight (facade), Cornelius O'Reilly [1] |
| Architectural type | church |
| Style | Venetian Gothic & Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1902 [1] [2] |
| Completed | 1904 [1] [2] |
| Construction cost | $80,000 [3] |
| Administration | |
| Division | Vicariate of North Manhattan |
| Archdiocese | New York |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor | Rev. Gilberto Angel-Neri |
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes is a parish church in Harlem, New York City, under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New York, located at 463 West 142nd Street between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues.
The parish was established in 1901 under the authority of Michael Corrigan, the Archbishop of New York, [4] to serve the growing Catholic population of the Hamilton Heights neighborhood. Corrigan assigned the task to Fr Joseph H. McMahon, who had served as a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral for the previous 15 years. [5]
The parish established a school in 1903 which was staffed by the Ursulines. 10 years later, a larger school was constructed, which was also served by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. [4]
The church, which has been called "one of the oddest buildings in New York", [6] was designated a New York City Landmark on July 22, 1975. [7]
The church was built from 1902 to 1904 at 463 West 142nd Street between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues [2] for $80,000 [3] to the design of Cornelius O'Reilly of the O'Reilly Brothers firm. [1] The building combined discarded elements of three recently demolished structures, which McMahon was able to obtain at a bargain:
Today the parish serves a congregation of African Americans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Eritreans and Mexicans, among others. [1]