Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Unusual Church in Chelsea
Saw this rather unusual church in Chelsea, between 9th and 10th Avenues. I don't really know anything about it. A number of Latin carvings suggest it may have been Catholic at one time and the building itself appears to date from the end of the 19th century. Now it's labeled as a generic "community church" and the "Jesus the Light of the World" sign could suggest an evangelical congregation. Since it's near the baseball practice field, I'll likely walk by it each weekend and will try and gather more information. It's certainly unusual from an architectural standpoint and I've never seen any other churches in Manhattan in this particular style. Is it Dutch Revival? Given its small size and atypical layout, could it have been a monastic house, with living quarters and a small sanctuary? Perhaps Miss Kitty, an architect and reader of this blog, can offer her expert opinion.
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2 comments:
How odd?! I haven't seen this building before, Brian.
I'm not up on terms for period architecture, but it does look a little nuts, like it's trying to do everything.
Looks almost like it was designed purely in elevation, like a 'cute' set of narrow townhouses nestled against each other. There is something Dutch about it, in its decoration.
Hm!!
Now you have me curious... I know the area but never really paid attention to it. Keep us informed Brian.
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