Judson Memorial Church facts for kids

Judson Memorial Church, Campanile and Judson Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Lower Manhattan Show map of Lower Manhattan Location in New York Show map of New York Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street, Manhattan, New York, United States
Built	Sanctuary: 1888–93 Campanile: 1895–96 Hall: 1877
Architect	Sanctuary: Stanford White Campanile: McKim, Mead & White Hall: John G. Prague
Architectural style	Italian Renaissance
NRHP reference No.	74001274
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 16, 1974

The Judson Memorial Church is a famous church located in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City. It stands on Washington Square South, right across from Washington Square Park. This church is connected with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ.

The church building, its tall bell tower (called a campanile), and the attached Judson Hall are all important historical sites. They were recognized as landmarks by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966. Later, in 1974, they were added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means they are important places in American history.

History of Judson Memorial Church

How the Church Began

In the mid-1800s, the area around Washington Square Park was home to many different groups of people. There were large African-American communities, along with German, French, and Irish immigrants. To the south, many Italian immigrants lived. The founder of the church, Edward Judson, noticed that wealthier people were moving away from this part of the city. He wanted to create a church that would serve everyone, especially those in need.

Edward Judson had been a preacher at another church nearby. His efforts to grow the church were so successful that a bigger building was needed. In 1888, with help from important people like John D. Rockefeller, construction began on the new church. Judson chose this spot because he wanted to help the local communities. The church was built to honor his father, Adoniram Judson, who was one of the first Protestant missionaries to Burma.

The famous architect Stanford White designed the church building. It looks like buildings from the Italian Renaissance period. The beautiful stained glass windows were created by John La Farge. Inside, the baptistery (where baptisms happen) has a marble frieze (a decorative band) designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. This was finished in 1893.

Besides religious services, the church also offered health care and help to people in the community, whether they were members or not. However, the church faced money problems by 1912. The Baptist City Society, a group of Baptist churches in the city, took over the property and helped manage its finances. The church congregation was able to take back control in 1973.

Judson Church in the Early 1900s

In 1921, under the leadership of pastor A. Ray Petty, the church offered space for a free medical and dental clinic. This clinic was run by Dr. Eleanor A. Campbell, a pioneering female doctor. It was called the Judson Health Center and helped many people from 1922 to 1950. During the 1920s, the church also ran the Judson Neighborhood House, which was a "settlement house" offering social services to the community.

During the Great Depression, a tough economic time in the early 1900s, the church continued to help people. It even allowed homeless men to sleep on its pews sometimes.

Judson Church After World War II

After World War II, many new students came to New York University, which is near the church. The church turned its former parish house into a place for international students and students of different backgrounds to live. At the same time, a new pastor, Robert Spike, started exploring new religious ideas with artists and veterans in the area. This brought new people to the church and led to a more modern style of worship.

Judson Church in the Late 1900s

In 1956, Howard Moody became the senior minister. He continued the church's strong support for civil rights and freedom of expression. He also spoke out on social issues that were considered controversial at the time. Al Carmines, who was an associate pastor from 1962 to 1979, focused on supporting the arts. This period saw the church grow, allowing the congregation to regain control of its property.

After Moody retired in 1990, Peter Laarman became the senior pastor. He led the church in helping with economic issues, while also continuing its work with the arts and other social causes. He also started a long project to restore and renovate the church's old buildings.

Since 2005, senior pastor Donna Schaper has led a special program to train future clergy (ministers) in "public ministry." This means teaching them how to lead a church that is actively involved in the community. The church has also become a leader in the New Sanctuary Movement, which supports immigrant rights.

Judson Church's Mission and Community Work

The Judson Memorial Church has always focused on helping the community. Its mission is to reach out and support people in need, even if the help they offer is sometimes seen as controversial.

After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the church's leaders created a fund to help the families of restaurant workers who died at the World Trade Center. Today, the church is very active in the New Sanctuary Movement, which works to protect the rights of immigrants.

Early Community Outreach Efforts

In 1952, Verne E. Henderson joined the Judson staff as its first Director of Community Service. He greatly expanded a program for young people in the village. More than 200 youth attended weekly events, including some who were facing legal troubles. Henderson helped these young people in court and started summer programs in upstate New York and Vermont.

Henderson also started programs for local artists. He made changes to the church sanctuary so it could host art shows. He even turned old offices into living spaces for artists. He once invited the famous dancer Martha Graham to use the sanctuary for rehearsals. This eventually led to the creation of the Judson Dance Theatre, a very important group in dance history.

Supporting the Arts at Judson Church

Starting in the 1950s, the church became a big supporter of the arts. Associate pastors Bernard Scott and later Al Carmines led this effort. The church provided space for artists to show their work, rehearse, and perform. They made sure artists had the freedom to try new things without being told what they could or couldn't do.

In 1957, the church offered gallery space to artists like Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine, and Robert Rauschenberg, who were not well-known at the time. In 1959, the Judson Gallery showed art by pop artists such as Tom Wesselmann and Red Grooms. Even Yoko Ono had her work shown there. The gallery also hosted "Fluxus happenings," which were experimental art performances.

The Judson Dance Theater began in 1962. It was a place for dancers and choreographers like Trisha Brown and Yvonne Rainer to create and perform their work. These artists helped create postmodern dance, a new and experimental style of dance. Today, a group called Movement Research still presents experimental dance shows at the church on Monday evenings.

In the 1970s, the church hosted many art shows and events that combined different art forms. One famous event was the People's Flag Show in November 1970. This exhibition featured paintings and sculptures about the American flag. It attracted a lot of attention from the public, the news, and even the police. Some artists were arrested, and the show was eventually closed due to charges of disrespecting the flag.

The Judson Poets' Theatre started in November 1961. It was one of the first "off-off-Broadway" theaters, meaning it showed experimental plays outside of the main Broadway theaters. Plays and musicals by famous writers and directors like Sam Shepherd were performed in the church's main Meeting Room. In the late 1960s, Al Carmines started writing and producing his own musicals and large choral works.

In the 1980s, the church supported plays with political messages, such as those by the Bread and Puppet Theater. These performances often used large puppets to share messages, like an anti-nuclear message in 1984. The church is now also home to the West Village Chorale, a singing group.

The church celebrated its 100th birthday in 1990 with performances and discussions. Many artists who had been involved with the church's arts programs in the 1960s and 1970s took part. The church continues to support both the arts and its community outreach today.

The Church Building

The Judson Memorial Church building is located at 54–57 Washington Square South. Besides the beautiful stained-glass windows by La Farge and the marble frieze by Saint-Gaudens, the building has an Italian Renaissance style. It also features scagliola, which is a very convincing imitation of marble made from polished plaster.

People say the outside of the building looks like the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, Italy. The entrance is thought to be inspired by a Renaissance church in Lucca, Italy. The church's main sanctuary has 14 stained glass windows by La Farge, which is the largest collection of his major works in one place in the U.S.

The tall bell tower, or campanile, was built next to the church in 1895–96. It was designed by the famous architecture firm McKim, Mead & White. The Judson Hall, which is attached to the church, is even older. It was built in 1877 and designed by John G. Prague.

In 1999, the church sold its parish building, called Judson House, to New York University School of Law. The university built a new, tall building called Furman Hall on that site. This new building is eleven stories tall and towers over the church and Washington Square Park, which caused some debate in the community at the time. The church's offices and a small meeting hall are now located in a part of this new building.

From 1990 to 2006, the church building underwent many repairs and improvements. It was repainted, got a new roof, and its stained glass windows were cleaned. An elevator was installed to make the building accessible, and air conditioning was added. These projects used up all the money from the sale of the land, plus about $1 million more raised from donations.

Ministers and Staff of Judson Church

See also

In Spanish: Judson Memorial Church, Campanile, and Judson Hall para niños

• List of New York City Landmarks