Grace Episcopal Church

By Tours of 1930s NYC

Grace Episcopal Church 1940s tax department photo of Grace Episcopal Church. Even black and white you can see the elegance of the architecture. Source: New York City Municipal Archives Date: 1939-1941

"At Tenth Street and Broadway rises the lacelike Grace Episcopal Church consecrated in 1846. It was designed by James Renwick, architect of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Typically English are the square east end, the elaboration of the ribbing of the vaulting, and the arrangement of tracery in the windows. The carved ornament of the exterior is crisp and incisive (NYC Guide, pp. 136)."

The foundation of Grace Episcopal Church precedes the building that it currently resides at. In 1808 its first service was held in a modest building at the corner of Broadway and Rector Street. The city was moving northward in 1834 which led to the decision to move and build a new church more north on Broadway (Grace Church, accessed July 26, 2024).

In 1923, Walter Russel Bowie became the eighth rector of Grace Episcopal Church until 1939 (Grace Church, 2024). The disaster of the Wall Street Crash in 1929 led to financial struggles in the 1930s for the church, having to scale back on ministry during this time. The Church is also known for its Choir of Men and Boys, established in 1894 (Wikipedia, 2024).

Between 1910 and 1975, no major architectural changes happened during that time. When built in the 1840s the inspiration was from French Gothic Revival architecture (Rschimke, 2011). The beautiful architecture makes Grace Episcopal Church both a National and New York City landmark.