Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
An image of the church in 1914
Map
40°49′24″N 73°56′54″W / 40.82324°N 73.94827°W / 40.82324; -73.94827
Location463 West 142nd Street
New York, New York 10031
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
Websitelourdesnyc.org
History
Founded1901
Founder(s)The Rev. Joseph H. McMahon
DedicationOur Lady of Lourdes
Architecture
Architect(s)Peter B. Wight (facade), Cornelius O'Reilly[1]
Architectural typechurch
StyleVenetian Gothic & Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking1902[1][2]
Completed1904[1][2]
Construction cost$80,000[3]
Administration
DivisionVicariate of North Manhattan
ArchdioceseNew York
Clergy
Pastor(s)Rev. Gilberto Angel-Neri

The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes is a parish church in New York City, under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New York, located at 463 West 142nd Street between Convent and Amsterdam Avenues in Manhattan.

History

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 the Rev. Joseph H. McMahon, who had just served as a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral for the previous fifteen years.[5]

Description

The church was built in 1902-04[2] at the cost of $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:

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 parish established a school in 1903 which was staffed by the Ursuline nuns. Ten years later a larger school was constructed, which was also served by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus.[4]

Current status

Today the parish serves a congregation of African Americans, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Eritreans and Mexicans, among others.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Dunlap, David W. (2004). From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12543-7., p.164
  2. ^ a b c d e White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7. p.315
  3. ^ a b Office for Metropolitan History Archived 2013-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," (Accessed 25 Dec 2010).
  4. ^ a b c Lafort, Remigius. The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.358.
  5. ^ a b "Church of Our Lady of Lourdes". The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
  6. ^ a b c New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1. p.196
  7. ^ a b New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. "Our Lady of Lourdes Designation Report" (July 22, 1975)


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