BY EILEEN STUKANE | When St. Peter’s Episcopal Church was consecrated in 1838, its bell tower was the tallest structure in Chelsea, which at the time was the name of Clement Clarke Moore’s family estate. In fact, Moore donated the land for St. Peter’s church and rectory — and ever since its inception, the church (on W. 20th St. near Ninth Ave.) has been a hub of community activism. St. Peter’s cared for cholera and yellow fever victims during the 19th century, and helped those rendered homeless by Hurricane Sandy in this century.
“We take the point of view that this is not simply our church, but it’s the neighborhood’s church,” says interim pastor Rev. Stephen Harding. “It has been here for over 100 years and we’d really like to be around for a lot longer. We’re part of the community.”
In keeping with this view, and because the historic stone church has plans for preservation work, St. Peter’s members — a congregation of 90 — in early September invited their nearest neighbors on W. 19th and W. 20th Sts. to join them for an Open House billed as a “Restoration Plans Preview.” This was an inclusive and thoughtful move in a city where residents are often taken by surprise when building construction begins seemingly overnight in their midst.
“I’m impressed by how the new interim pastor [Harding has been at his post for about a year] has made an effort to reach out to immediate neighbors,” says Eric Marcus, who heads the quality of life committee for the W. 20th St. 300 Block Association. “He has offered the church rectory as a meeting space for our Block Association and invited us to preview the church’s plans for restoration and to let us know what’s going on.” Although Marcus has lived on the block for decades, the first time he was inside the church was when he was invited on a tour in relation to the restoration plans. Having done that, he says he is “incredibly impressed by the current church’s leadership in taking on such an important and daunting challenge, to restore this vital landmark to good health.”
Today in St. Peter’s, Chelsea neighbors, just like their predecessors over 100 years ago, sit under the original pendant vaulted ceiling, in the original wooden pews, surrounded by the original stained glass windows from Tiffany and J&R Lamb Studios, aware that the original tin rooftop, now badly leaking, prevents the use of the balcony.
St. Peter’s, the first English parish Gothic church building in the United States, is at a crucial stage. The building remains structurally sound, but water and insect damage has weakened its trusses. Without the needed preservation measures, this historic stone church will be at greater risk of becoming another piece of the city’s vanished heritage.
A smaller undertaking, the church’s bell and four-sided clock tower were restored in 1990-91. As Marcus says, “I lived in the neighborhood when the tower was redone, and there was little effort at the time to engage the community. They just didn’t think to do it.”
Not only is St. Peter’s engaging with Chelsea residents this time around, but Harding has also rekindled the church’s relationship with the nearby General Theological Seminary (on W. 21st St.) and St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church (on W. 22nd St.). He also plans to reach out to Hudson Guild, Church of Holy Apostles, and local elected officials. The church recently welcomed a morning AA group meeting, and in addition to its Food Pantry, hosts neighborhood groups such as Pictorial Photographers of America, Chelsea for Peace, and a local Girl Scouts troop. “We need everybody to make this church work,” says Harding. “Everybody’s got a gift, got a skill. We need whatever it is you have to grow and to make an impact in our community.”
Meanwhile William Stivale, the building conservator who worked on the restoration of the tower, and is creating the master plan for the current restoration of St. Peter’s exterior and interior, explains the importance of everyone working together to preserve the building: “This church is really a gem. It was built before the American Industrial Revolution when the stone for the walls was dug right out of the ground. It’s made from what’s called Manhattan Schist, the bedrock of the island. There was no Portland cement used in the United States then, so the workers went to the Hudson River, got sand, made their own lime, and the stone walls are held in place with the mixture. If done correctly that works great. Half of Roman and Greek structures are made from it.”
This 1900 work by J&R Lamb Studios, with the apt inscription “Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men,” is in good condition — but other stained glass windows need cleaning and restoring.
Due to the rusting and damaged tin roof, however, water seepage is washing away the sand between the stones. Inside the church, the vaulted ceiling that one sees is not the roof but a dropped ceiling, and even that shows signs of wear and water. The beautiful, almost priceless, stained glass windows from Tiffany and J&R Lamb Studios, need cleaning and restoring of some leaded areas and refastening of panes. One can see the result of restoration in the Call of St. Peter stained glass window above the altar, which depicts a life-size Jesus beckoning to fishermen at the Sea of Galilee. Created in 1900 by J&R Lamb Studios and restored in the early 2000s, it is by far the most glistening and inviting window of the church with the apt inscription “Follow Me and I Will Make You Fishers of Men.”
Gail Rodgers, senior warden of St. Peter’s and chairman of its restoration committee, explains that fundraising has already begun. The Episcopal Church will offer a small percentage of the needed funds, and it is hoped that larger donations might come from foundation grants or corporations.
Inside the church, the vaulted ceiling that one sees is not the roof but a dropped ceiling, and even that shows signs of wear and water.
There are three phases of restoration planned. Phase I (estimated at about $2.5 million) concerns repairs to the exterior of the church and rectory, which include roof, walls, and some stained glass windows. The inner upgrading of the church and rectory and renovation of the church’s interior is planned for Phases II and III. (If enough money is raised, it is hoped that the 1892 Frank Roosevelt pipe organ near the altar might be made operational.) The total cost of the entire restoration, over a number of years, is $12 million. Included within that total is a $4 million cushion for maintenance and upkeep over future generations. “We want to be good stewards,” says Rodgers.
Rev. Stephen Harding, interim pastor at St. Peter’s.
St. Peter’s will have help in its fundraising from the lay-led Chelsea Community Church (CCC), which leases St. Peter’s for its Sunday noon services, and is known for its Christmas Candlelight Carol Service. “We’re talking it up at every service, every Sunday,” says Paul Bodden, CCC’s treasurer. “We would like representation from Chelsea Community Church on the restoration committee,” says Harding, “and as we continue to grow and develop and deepen we’d like representatives from the neighborhood and neighborhood organizations too.”
St. Peter’s is now online as an Amazon charity. Go to smile.amazon.com, designate St. Peter’s Episcopal Church New York as your favorite charity, and 0.5 percent of your Amazon purchases will go to St. Peter’s. For direct giving, the church’s website: stpeterschelsea.com/wordpress/ has a “Donate” button on its homepage. Just for fun, you can join the pastor for a climb into St. Peter’s bell and clock tower: youtube.com/user/stpeterschelsea.
