Standing before the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, you might be surprised to learn that this grand building was once a church. It wasn’t just any church, but the Church of the Evangelists, built in 1857, a beacon of hope for the poor of Catharine Street. The church was beautiful, designed in the Romanesque style, with influences from Italian architecture. It had a campanile, a basilica, and even frescos painted by renowned artists like Robert Henri and Nicola D’Ascenzo. The church originally served the Episcopal community, but as immigrants arrived in the neighborhood, its fortunes began to decline. The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial stepped in to save the building from being lost to time.
Samuel Fleisher was a successful businessman and philanthropist, who felt strongly about the importance of art for all, regardless of their background. He opened his first free art classes in 1898 and, by 1922, had acquired the Church of the Evangelists. Fleisher converted the church into a gallery and a sanctuary, a place where people could come to enjoy art and reflect on its power to uplift and inspire.
Today, the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial is a bustling community arts center, offering free and low-cost classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and dance. It also hosts exhibitions and community events, keeping Fleisher’s vision of art as a democratizing force alive. You can still see the original Wurlitzer pipe organ in the church, now known as the Sanctuary. It is a powerful reminder of this building’s unique history and its enduring legacy.