Picture this a graveyard filled with notable New Yorkers. This is Saint Mark’s in-the-Bowery. This isn’t just any church. It’s the oldest site of continuous worship in New York City. Imagine Peter Stuyvesant the last Dutch governor of New Netherland. He purchased this very land in 1651. He built a family chapel. He’s buried right beneath our feet.
Saint Mark’s in-the-Bowery has witnessed centuries of history. The current building? That dates back to 1799. It’s the second-oldest church building in Manhattan. Architect John McComb Jr also built New York City Hall. Alexander Hamilton a founding father played a key role in establishing Saint Mark’s as the first Episcopal parish independent from Trinity Church.
Throughout the 1800s Saint Mark’s grew in prominence. New York City mayors Philip Hone and Gideon Lee worshipped here. So did Commodore Matthew C Perry and even a future Vice President Daniel D Tompkins. The steeple designed by Martin Euclid Thompson and Ithiel Town was added in 1828. A beautiful cast-iron portico arrived in 1858. A brick addition was completed in 1861.
But Saint Mark’s isn’t just about its age and architecture. It’s a living church. It’s hosted poetry readings by W H Auden and Allen Ginsberg. Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham danced within these walls. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands even presented a bust of Stuyvesant to the churchyard.
In the 1920s Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design apartment towers here. The Great Depression thankfully prevented that. A 1978 fire caused significant damage. A decade later another fire threatened the Beaux-Arts rectory designed by Ernest Flagg. Both the church and the rectory were painstakingly restored.
Today Saint Mark’s in-the-Bowery continues its unique legacy. It’s a place of worship a historical landmark and a vibrant community center. It stands as a testament to New York City’s enduring spirit. It’s a place where history whispers and the future unfolds. So let’s pause and appreciate this incredible piece of New York’s past.