St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Andrew's Episcopal Church |
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South and east elevations, 2011
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| Leadership | The Rev. Mary Robinson White |
| Year consecrated | 1947 |
| Location | |
| Location | Albany, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Norman R. Sturgis; Fred Eckel Jr. |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1930 |
| Completed | 1931 |
| Construction cost | $250,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Materials | stone, tile, copper |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 2005 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 04001447 |
| Website | |
| St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Albany, NY | |
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is a beautiful church located in Albany, New York. It sits at the corner of North Main and Madison avenues. This church is actually a group of three buildings. The main church building is made of stone and was designed by architect Norman Sturgis. It was built in 1930 and shows a style called Late Gothic Revival. Because of its special design and history, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. This means it's an important historic site!
Contents
Exploring the Church Buildings
St. Andrew's Church is in the Pine Hills neighborhood of Albany. It's near the College of St. Rose. The church property has three main parts: the church itself, a connected parish hall, and a rectory. A rectory is where the church's leader, called the rector, used to live.
The Church's Look and Feel
The church building is made from brown granite stone with limestone details. It has a tall, pointed roof covered in red tiles. The main entrance is on the south side. It has double doors set deep inside a pointed arch. Above the entrance, there's a flat roof with a decorative wall called a parapet.
A tall, square bell tower rises from the back of the church. Its roof is also tiled. The other roofs on the building are made of metal. The outside of the church has simple decorations.
Inside the Church
When you step inside, you'll find a long, narrow main area called the nave. The floor is wood where the seats (pews) are, and stone in other places. All the furniture inside, like the pews, is made from white oak wood.
The church has 32 amazing stained glass windows that let colorful light stream in. The ceiling is made of Douglas fir wood beams that cross each other in a cool pattern.
Near the front of the church, there's a special area called the chancel. On the east wall, there's a columbarium. This is a place where urns with ashes are kept. On the west side, you'll find a baptismal font, which is a basin used for baptisms.
There's a special connection between the church and the parish hall. In the hallway that joins them, there's a Roman brick. This brick came all the way from St. Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire, England. This is important because St. Albans Abbey was a model for St. Andrew's design!
The Parish Hall and Rectory
The parish hall is a two-story building made of light brick. On the first floor, there's a big meeting room, bathrooms, and the rector's office. The second floor has classrooms, which are used for Sunday school. The basement has more meeting rooms and the building's heating system.
The rectory is a two-and-a-half-story house. It has a sloped roof and a porch along its front. This house is built in the Colonial Revival style.
A Look Back: The Church's History
The story of St. Andrew's Church began in 1892. Another church in Albany, St. Paul's, started a small mission (a place for worship) called St. Andrew's Chapel. This was in an old bank building on Madison Street. At that time, Albany was growing, and people were moving west from the city center.
Growing and Building
The chapel quickly grew too big for its first home. It moved to a former school building. By 1894, it needed even more space! So, in 1897, a new chapel was built on Western Avenue. This is the same spot where the rectory stands today.
Just two years later, in 1899, the chapel became its own separate parish. This meant it was an independent church with its own congregation.
The church continued to grow, and the chapel became too small again. In the late 1910s, the church started planning for a much larger building. They bought land in 1920 and began raising money. On November 30, 1930, they laid the first stone, called the cornerstone. The new church was finished by Easter the next year, costing $250,000.
Designed with Care
Norman Sturgis, the architect, designed St. Andrew's. He was inspired by his teacher, Ralph Adams Cram. Cram believed that Episcopal churches should look like old English Gothic churches because that's where the style of worship began. However, Sturgis also wanted to make the design new and fresh, not just a copy. He said the church was "an attempt to express fundamental truths in a new way to tell an old, old story in new words."
St. Andrew's was partly modeled after St. Albans Abbey in England. Many local workers were hired to build the church. This helped people in Albany find jobs during the Great Depression, a very difficult economic time.
Changes Over Time
The church paid off its building loan in 1947. After that, it was officially dedicated. In the 1950s, the church made more improvements. The original 1897 chapel, which was being used as the parish hall, was taken down. A new, attached parish hall was built in its place. The architects used light brown brick to match the church. Later, the special Roman brick from St. Albans Abbey was placed in the hallway connecting the church and parish hall.
In 1961, St. Andrew's helped start a new church called St. Boniface in Guilderland, New York. This was similar to how St. Andrew's itself began! The church also added a new organ in 1970 and opened a thrift shop in 1979. In 1992, a columbarium was added inside the church.
St. Andrew's has always been known for being a welcoming and open church. It has a history of being inclusive and supportive of all people.
See also
