St. James Chapel (Hyde Park, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. James Chapel |
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North elevation and west profile, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church in the United States of America |
| Leadership | The Rev. Chuck Kramer |
| Year consecrated | 1856 |
| Status | chapel |
| Location | |
| Location | Hyde Park, New York, US |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | School building, chapel |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Carpenter Gothic |
| Completed | 1832 (school), 1856 (chapel) |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Materials | wood |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | August 19, 1993 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 93000848 |
| Website | |
| St. James' Church Hyde Park | |
St. James' Chapel is a special building in Hyde Park, New York. It is located on East Market Street, not far from US 9. This chapel is part of the St. James Episcopal Church. The main church building is about one mile north.
What looks like one building today is actually two older buildings joined together. The first part was built as a school in 1832. It is designed in the Greek Revival style. Later, this part became the town's library and is still called the Reading Room. The second part, the chapel, was added in 1856. It has a unique Carpenter Gothic style with some Swedish touches. For many years, this chapel was used for church services during the cold winter months. In 1993, both buildings together were added to the National Register of Historic Places. They are known as the Bard Infant School and St. James Chapel.
Exploring the Buildings
The school building was built first. It sticks out towards the street, near the post office. It is a one-story building made of wood, covered with clapboard siding. Its roof has a pointed shape called a gable and is covered with asphalt shingles. There is a stone chimney on the east side.
The front of the school building has a special entrance. It looks like a small porch with a triangular roof, called a pediment. This roof is held up by four square pillars. There is also a small, simple addition on the east side.
The chapel is connected to the south side of the school building. It is also a one-story wooden building. But unlike the school, its sides are covered with a different type of wood siding called board-and-batten. It has pretty decorative patterns every eight feet. The chapel's roof is very steep and covered with asphalt shingles. It has a fancy cutout design on the east side. On the west side, there is an open belfry with a pointed steeple right above the main entrance.
On the east side of the chapel, you can see a beautiful stained glass window. It has three pointed Gothic arches and a special three-leaf design at the top. There is also a small entrance to the basement on the south side. A small wooden shed, also made of board-and-batten, is located nearby. This shed is also considered an important part of the historic site.
Inside, both the chapel and the school building still have many of their original features. The chapel has beautiful, detailed carved designs that separate the main seating area, called the nave, from the altar area. In the school's main room, there is a stone fireplace and mantelpiece. They are designed in the Arts and Crafts style.
A Look Back in Time
The St. James church group officially started in 1811. It was founded by Samuel Bard, whose family were early settlers in the area. The church built its first building on this spot soon after.
In 1832, the church's pastor, Samuel Roosevelt Johnson, built the school on his own land. It was the very first school built in Hyde Park. The Greek Revival style was very popular in the Hudson Valley back then. The school originally had round Doric columns on the front, which made the small building look more important. The next year, Pastor Johnson retired and gave the school and the land to the church. It was then named the Bard Infant School, after the church's founder.
Six years later, in 1839, the main church building was found to have big problems. It was taken down, and a new church, looking similar to the old one, was built in 1844. The school building then started to be used for more than just teaching. It also became a library where people could borrow books. Everyone in Hyde Park started calling it the Reading Room.
In 1856, work began on building the chapel. We don't know who the architect was, but its design is similar to ideas found in a book by Richard Upjohn. The chapel was used for daily church services. It was also used for Sunday services in the winter because it could be heated, unlike the main church at that time.
A new school was built on nearby Albertson Street in 1869. This meant the original school building could continue to be used only as a library. In the early 1900s, the old school building was updated. The original round columns were replaced with the square ones you see today. In 1913, the stone fireplace and chimney were added, matching the popular Arts and Crafts style of that time.
The main church building finally got heating in 1955. This meant the chapel was no longer needed for winter services. It continued to host early Sunday morning services until 1998. That's when a big project began to fix up and restore both buildings. No major changes were made to either the school or the chapel during this restoration.
