Archive Spotlight: First Presbyterian Church in Winter

This image from the GVSHP Archive features an idyllic view of people gathering on the sidewalk outside of First Presbyterian Church in winter. The image is taken at 12th Street and Fifth Avenue, looking south. Indeed, the Church of the Ascension, at 10th Street, is visible as well.

These two churches certainly lend a stately elegance to the stretch of Fifth Avenue below 14th Street, leading to its terminus at Washington Square Park. Both churches are part of the original Greenwich Village Historic District. The First Presbyterian Church was built in 1844-46 and designed by Joseph C. Wells in the Gothic Revival style. The south transept of the building was added in 1893-94 and was designed by McKim, Mead & White. The Church of the Ascension was built in 1840-41 and was designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival style, with an interior remodeled by Stanford White from 1885-89. Both churches are active and flourishing today.

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