THREE CHURCHES - 5TH AVENUE

New York, NY

When visiting the city, we frequently stay in hotels in Midtown Manhattan, just south of Central Park, which is a nice area for walking and shopping. I had always noticed the significant churches on 5th Avenue in this area. They are of the generation of grand, inspiring churches with elaborate detail and grandeur. On this visit, I sought to inventory these buildings, and compare them, both physically and architecturally. The three churches are sketched in relative size to each other – ranging in height from 95’ to 379’ (St. Peters in Rome, is the largest church in the world, at 448’, built in 1626, designed by Michelangelo and others).

Here are the big three of 5th Avenue, from left to right:

• Saint Thomas (at West 53rd) - 1913, 95’ tall, architects Cram and Goodhue, designers of many churches at the time. Built of plain ashlar limestone exterior surfaces in the French High Gothic style, the church's asymmetrical main elevation on Fifth Avenue is divided into three sections, reflecting the interior divisions. The nave is slightly off-center, with a wide chantry to one side and a narrow aisle to the other. The capacity is 1,200.

• 5th Avenue Presbyterian (at West 55th) - 1875, 286’ tall, architect 37-year old German immigrant Carl Pheiffer . The façade is built with New Jersey red sandstone and was designed in the Gothic Revival style. The capacity is 2,000.

• Saint Patrick (at West 50th) - 1879, 329’ tall, architect James Renwick, who spent three years in Europe seeking inspiration for this church, and eventually gave the nod to Cologne Cathedral, another twin towered behemoth. Designed in the Gothic Revival style, it is the seat of the archdiocese, and is the largest Gothic Revival Catholic church in North America. Clad in marble, this church is the most elaborately detailed of the three. The capacity is 2,200.