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Architecture of the Spirit

St. Mark's Church in the Bowery
St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery

This weekend, the New York Landmarks Conservancy is again organizing the state-wide Sacred Sites Open House Weekend. This free event offers a unique opportunity to explore the interiors of more than 30 historic religious sites in New York City and 70 sites throughout New York State – and two right here in our neighborhoods!

Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue at 10th Street
Open Saturday, May 19th, 1-5 P.M.
The Church of the Ascension is a National Historic Landmark designed by Upjohn in 1841 that features a magnificent 1880’s interior designed by Stanford White. You can read the all about the history of the church in the State & National Register report.

St. Mark’s Church-In-The-Bowery
131 East 10th Street
Open Sunday, May 20th, 12:30-2:30 P.M.
St. Mark’s in the Bowery was constructed in 1795-99 on the site of the chapel originally built by Peter Stuyvesant, Governor of New Amsterdam in 1660, making it the oldest site of continuous worship in New York City! More information can be found on the Landmarks Preservation’s Commission’s designation report.

For a full list of participating sites around the city and state, click here.

GVSHP has long recognized and advocated for the preservation of the unique architectural contributions religious institutions have made to the character of our communities. Just some of the building sites we’ve researched and advocated for the preservation of include:

Congregation Mezritch Synagogue
The Congregation Mezritch Synagogue

Congregation Mezritch Synagogue at 415 East 6th Street — the East Village’s last remaining operating “tenement synagogue,” so named because they filled narrow lots sandwiched between tenements and served the poor immigrants who populated the surrounding buildings

St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Church at Avenue A and East 10th Street, which GVSHP helped get landmarked in 2008

St. Veronica’s Roman Catholic church at 153 Christopher Street in the Far West Village, which was included in the landmarking of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension I in 2006

The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection on East 2nd Street which is set to be heard as part of the larger public hearing on the proposed East Village/Lower East Side Historic District this coming June 26th – we hope you can make it to show your support for the preservation of this vulnerable area

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