St. Luke's Chapel
"Facing the foot of Grove Street, on Hudson Street, on land that was part of Trinity Church farm, St. Luke's Chapel was opened in 1822. It is a simple low building of yellow brick with an effective square tower. Under the approach to the baptismal font, reminiscent of old England, is a wooden figure of Saint Christopher, brought from South America in the sixteenth or seventh century. The Leake Dole of Bread distributed every Saturday after ten o'clock service, was provided for in the will of John Leake, who, in 1792, bequeathed one thousand pounds for 'six penny loaves of heathen bread" to be distributed to "such poor as shall appear most deserving' (NYC Guide, pp. 142)."
St. Luke's Chapel is the third oldest church still running in Manhattan. It has survived fires and has seen three epidemics spread through New York. In 1820, residents of the now Greenwich Village gathered at the home of Catherine Ritter to found a new Episcopal church (Winchell, 2020). St. Luke's was originally known as St. Luke's in the Fields, chosen to evoke the pastoral quality of the area (Wikipedia, 2024).
During the early 1800s, Greenwich Village was still very undeveloped, mostly occupying farms and summer estates from the upper class. The church was constructed by James N. Wells, who wanted a federal-style architecture. When construction for the church began, only four buildings were in view. Over the early 1900s, St. Luke's was a focal point of development and redevelopment over the city blocks surrounding the chapel. Homes, businesses, and entertainment began to develop around, one being a gymnasium a block away in 1926 (Winchell, 2020).
St. Luke's has had a historical run in Greenwich Village for having been relevant and standing in every era of Greenwich and its growth for decades.
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