First Hungarian Reformed Church of New York facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Hungarian Reformed Churchof New York |
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North elevation, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | United Church of Christ |
| Leadership |
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| Location | |
| Location | Upper East Side, New York, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Emery Roth |
| Architectural style | Hungarian vernacular |
| General contractor | McDermott & Henigan |
| Completed | 1916 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | North |
| Width | 35 feet (11 m) |
| Spire(s) | 1 |
| Spire height | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Materials | Stucco, brick |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | August 31, 2000 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 00001012 |
The First Hungarian Reformed Church of New York is a special building located on East 69th Street in the Upper East Side area of Manhattan, New York City. It is made of brick and covered with yellow stucco, a type of plaster. The church was finished in 1916 and looks like traditional Hungarian buildings. It is home to a church group that started way back in 1895.
This church is the only Christian religious building designed by Emery Roth. He was born in Hungary and later became famous for designing many apartment buildings in New York. This church is one of two Hungarian Reformed Churches in Manhattan. It has been a very important place for the city's Hungarian-American community since it was built.
In 1983, the house next to the church, called the parsonage (where the minister lives), was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important historical places in the United States. The church itself was added to this list in 2000. After another old church nearby was taken down, the First Hungarian Reformed Church became the oldest church in its neighborhood.
The Church Building
The church is on the south side of East 69th Street, between First and Second Avenues. It sits among older rowhouses, which are houses built in a row and joined together. The rowhouses to the west are some of the oldest left from when this part of the Upper East Side was first built around 1880. The house right next to the church on its west side is the parsonage.
The church building has two floors and a raised basement. It is made of brick covered in yellow stucco. A square bell tower stands tall from the middle of the roof. The roof has a pointed shape on the sides, but is flat behind the tower. The main entrance sticks out a little in the middle of the building.
On the front of the church, facing the street, there are two windows on each side of the main door on the first floor. These windows have decorative ceramic panels above them. On the second floor, there are double windows with similar round panels. In the middle, above the main entrance, there is a large round window called an oculus.
The roof has an overhanging edge with exposed wooden beams, which is a common style in Hungarian buildings. Above this, the bell tower rises. It has a single narrow window on the front, and three similar windows on each side near the top. Each corner of the tower has a small pyramid-shaped top. The tower itself has a red tile roof shaped like a cone, with a weathervane on top.
The main entrance has a small roof over it, supported by wooden braces. Below this roof are double wooden doors. Above the doors, there is a beautiful stained glass window divided into three parts, with an eagle in the middle. This door leads into a small entry area, which then opens into the main part of the church, called the nave.
Inside the nave, the floor has mosaic tiles with a Greek key pattern around the edges. The lower part of the walls is covered in marble. A main walkway goes down the middle, with two rows of original wooden pews (church benches) on either side. Tall pillars divide the walls into sections. At the back of the church, the walls are angled and have more stained glass windows.
The ceiling is curved and has many sunken panels, called coffers. These coffers are beautifully painted and decorated with gold. In the center of the ceiling are stained glass skylights, which let in natural light. Hanging lights also help to brighten the space.
A staircase in the front corner of the church leads up to the choir loft, where the choir sings. The railing of the choir loft has special wooden panels with Hungarian folk art designs. The church's basement has been changed into a meeting hall. A door near the back of the church connects to the parsonage.
The parsonage is a three-story brownstone house with a raised basement and a front stoop (steps leading to the entrance). It has decorative details around its doors and windows, and a metal roof edge with fancy brackets. Inside, many original features like wooden doors and high ceilings are still there. The first floor is used as the church office, and the upper floors are where the minister lives.
History of the Church
After a big fight for freedom in Hungary in 1848, many Hungarian refugees came to New York. They even started the first Hungarian-American newspaper. More Hungarians came in the 1880s, looking for better jobs. Many settled along Second Avenue in Manhattan.
In 1895, a pastor named Bertalan Demeter started the First Hungarian Congregation. They held their services in a chapel on 4th Street. A few years later, in 1889, a new pastor, Zoltan Kuthy, led the group to join the larger Hungarian Reformed churches already in the U.S. The church grew, and they bought a house on East 7th Street for their services.
By 1910, over 75,000 people in New York said they had Hungarian roots. These people came from different parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included modern-day Hungary and parts of other countries like the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They had different backgrounds and religions, but many were Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, or Jewish.
In 1914, the church sold its house and bought three lots on East 69th Street. They tore down two of the houses to make space for the new church. The house that remained was fixed up to be the parsonage. Emery Roth, a Hungarian immigrant, was chosen to design the new church building. This was only his second religious building, and the only Christian church he ever designed. He was Jewish and also designed several synagogues. He was likely chosen because he knew a lot about Hungarian building styles and had strong ties to the Hungarian community.
Roth's design for the church includes many traditional Hungarian features. The yellow stucco outside has colorful tile designs. The roof hangs over the walls, showing the wooden beams, and the tower has a red clay tile roof. Inside, the ceiling has many sunken panels, which is common in churches in eastern Hungary. These 322 panels are hand-painted with Hungarian folk art designs. People have called the church a "charming and unique example of Hungarian traditional architecture."
The new church building was officially opened in early 1916. They even used the bell from the old church. Since then, not much has changed, except for some updates to the parsonage. A special wall for ashes (a columbarium) was added in the 1950s, and the basement was remodeled. Old photos show that all the roofs used to have the same clay tiles as the tower.
New York's Hungarian community was largest in the mid-1900s, with almost 125,000 people. The area around the church had many Hungarian shops and restaurants. Over time, the community became smaller as families moved to other parts of the city or to the suburbs. New immigrants still come to the church, but they often live outside Manhattan now. The church continues to hold services in Hungarian every Sunday, serving its community.
See also
In Spanish: Primera Iglesia Reformada Húngara para niños
