Jump to content

Church of the Heavenly Rest

Edit links
Coordinates:40°47′01″N73°57′29″W/ 40.7837°N 73.958°W/40.7837; -73.958
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Church of the Heavenly Rest
Map
Location1085Fifth Avenue,New York City
CountryUnited States
DenominationEpiscopal Church (United States)
Websiteheavenlyrest.org
History
Founded1865
Architecture
Heritage designationNational Register of Historic Places,1921
Architect(s)Mayers, Murray & Phillip
StyleNeo-Gothic style
Completed31 March 1929
Administration
DioceseDiocese of New York
Clergy
Bishop(s)Matthew Heyd
RectorThe Rev. Bob Dannals (interim)
Assistant priest(s)The Rev. Margaret Rose, the Rev. Robert M. Pennoyer III, the Rev. Dr. Meredith Hawkins
Curate(s)The Rev. Cindy Stravers
Laity
Director of musicJanet Yieh

TheChurch of the Heavenly Restis anEpiscopalchurch located on the corner ofFifth Avenueand90th Street,oppositeCentral Parkand theCarnegie Mansion,on theUpper East SideofNew York City.The church is noted for the architecture of its building, its location on Museum Mile, its outreach, thrift, music and arts programs, and some of its congregation members.

In 2020, it reported 1,866 members, but no figures for attendance or plate and pledge income.

Congregation history[edit]

45th Street in the 1890s

The church was founded in 1865 (officially established in 1868) byAmerican Civil Warveterans, with the assistance of the Reverend Robert Shaw Howland. It was meant as a memorial to soldiers who had died in the Civil War. By 1900, the church had amassed close to 1000 members. The church was originally located on Fifth Avenue and 46th Street before moving to its present site.[1]

Present church building[edit]

The land for the current site was sold to the church in 1926 byLouise Whitfield Carnegie,Andrew Carnegie's widow. Carnegie purchased the site in 1917 for $1.7 million shortly after a sign was erected reading "for sale without restrictions"; his ownership prevented apartment house development there that would intrude on his mansion's surroundings, but the site remained undeveloped with only a few billboards and a lemonade stand on one of the city's most expensive addresses. Its subsequent sale to the church carried the restrictions that the land could only be used "for a Christian church no higher than 75 feet, exclusive of steeple" through 1975.[2]

Thelimestonechurch was designed in theneo-Gothic styleby the firmMayers, Murray & Phillip,successors toBertram Goodhue.Goodhue died before the first stone was laid. Mayers, Murray & Phillip took over construction.[3]It opened onEaster1929, seating 1,050, at a cost of $3.2 million. Sculpture was to be executed byMalvina Hoffman,Lee Lawrie,and other artists.[2]The architecture and sculpture combined neo-Gothic styles withArt decodetails.[1]However, over two-thirds of the sculptural program was never executed; sculptorJanet Scudderwithdrew from a commission in 1928 after it was downsized. TheStock Market Crash of 1929ended other work, and the blocky limestone facade was retained without sculpture.[4]

Innovative design features included unobstructed views of the altar, indirect lighting and a high-tech sound system.[2]The building was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 2021.[5]

Music program[edit]

The church has a number of choirs, including boys' and girls', a mixed adult choir, and a bell choir. For itspatronal feast,which isAll Saints' Day,the hymns "For All the Saints"and"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"are commonly sung.

Notable people[edit]

The funeral ofChester A. Arthur,formerPresident of the United States,was held at the church in 1886,[6]and the ashes of the actressGloria Swansonwere interred there in 1983.[7]The Rt. Rev.Matthew Heyd,17th Bishop of New York, was rector of the church from 2013 to 2023.

In popular culture[edit]

The church is featured in a scene in the 1997 filmThe Devil's AdvocatestarringKeanu Reeves.In the film, Kevin finds his wife Mary Ann sitting on a bench in the church, where she reveals her naked body to be covered in cuts and bruises, accusing Milton (Satan) of raping her.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Church of the Heavenly Rest: Our History and Mission".Archived fromthe originalon January 25, 2009.RetrievedDecember 17,2008.
  2. ^abcGray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003), p. 280.
  3. ^"New York Architecture Images: Church of the Heavenly Rest".RetrievedDecember 17,2008.
  4. ^Gray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003), p. 282.
  5. ^"Weekly listing".National Park Service.
  6. ^Reeves, Thomas C. (1975).Gentleman Boss.New York, New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p.418.ISBN0-394-46095-2.
  7. ^Donnelley, Paul (2003).Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries.Omnibus. p. 887.ISBN0-7119-9512-5.
  8. ^"The Devil's Advocate Film Locations".On The Set of New York.

External links[edit]

40°47′01″N73°57′29″W/ 40.7837°N 73.958°W/40.7837; -73.958

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Church_of_the_Heavenly_Rest&oldid=1232274289"