Three hundred years old. That’s the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. Standing before you is a testament to enduring faith. Its story began not here on Fifth Avenue but far downtown on Wall Street. Imagine a small wooden structure in 1716. This was the first home of a congregation of about eighty New York dissenters. They were mostly Scots-Irish. They chose to worship their way not the way of the established Anglican Church.
The First Presbyterian Church was a bold choice. It was a defiance in a time when religious tolerance wasn’t guaranteed. In 1707 Francis Makemie a Scots-Irish clergyman preached publicly. This was against the law. The Anglican Church controlled public worship. Makemie was arrested but acquitted. His act set the stage for the First Presbyterian Church.
Their first service was held in 1719. Growth was slow. Divisions between the more conservative Scots and the more progressive English members hindered their progress. Things changed with the First Great Awakening. This evangelical movement of the 1730s and 40s revitalized the congregation. The Wall Street Church was enlarged. A steeple and bell were added.
By 1768 the congregation had outgrown the space again. They built a new church called the Brick Church. This was near the site of present City Hall Park. The church held services at two locations. The War of Independence divided the Presbyterians from the Anglicans. Most Presbyterians opposed the King. Most Anglicans supported him. The Presbyterians actively participated in the Revolution. Reverend John Rodgers pastor of the Wall Street Church was a zealous patriot. Many of his male congregants served in the Continental Army.
The British occupation damaged the church buildings. Tradition says they used the Wall Street Church as a stable for their horses. The Anglicans generously loaned their chapels while repairs were made. The Brick Church reopened in 1784. The Wall Street Church reopened the following year. The state of New York chartered the Presbyterian Church. This made it the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York.
Forty years later dozens of Presbyterian churches existed in New York. The Wall Street Church and its offshoots had become separate entities. Other churches had also organized merged and split. In 1811 the Wall Street structure was deemed unsafe. It was rebuilt. In 1835 the Great Fire destroyed much of lower Manhattan. This included Old First’s location. The population was shifting north. The church followed.
A new Gothic style church was built on Fifth Avenue between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets. The old burial vaults were moved beneath the new church’s lawn. The congregation moved into its new home in 1846. The English immigrant Joseph C. Wells designed the building. He was a founder of the American Institute of Architects. He based the sanctuary on the Church of St Saviour in Bath England. The tower was based on Magdalen Tower at Oxford.
In the late 19th century three Presbyterian churches merged. These were Old First the University Place church and the Madison Square church. This created the First Presbyterian Church in the City of New York. The Fifth Avenue location was chosen to house the new church. It’s where it remains a landmark to this day. It continues its mission of tolerance and open-mindedness. This landmark continues to serve as a beacon of faith and community in the heart of Greenwich Village.