St. James Episcopal Church (Batavia, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. James Episcopal Church |
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South elevation of bell tower, 2009
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church |
| Leadership | The Rev. Bonnie F. Morris |
| Year consecrated | 1908 |
| Location | |
| Location | Batavia, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Robert North |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
| Completed | 1908 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Materials | Stone |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | September 24, 2004 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 04001062 |
| Website | |
| St. James Episcopal Church | |
St. James Episcopal Church is a beautiful stone church in Batavia, New York. It was built in the early 1900s and has a special Neo-Gothic style. This means it looks like old European churches but with some modern touches.
The church was designed by Robert North, who used to be a choirboy there. He traveled to England to get ideas for the design. A kind woman who helped pay for the church wanted it to feel like the "quiet spirit of the English countryside." Robert North also used new building materials like reinforced concrete and cast stone in his design.
This is the third building for the St. James church community, which started way back in the early 1800s. In 2004, the church building, its rectory (the pastor's house), and a stone wall were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical places. Around that time, the church faced some challenges, including the cost of keeping up an old building. However, people worked hard to raise money, and they were able to fix the church's bell tower.
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Church Buildings and Grounds
The church property is about 2.8 acres big. It is located on the north side of East Main Street in Batavia. The area around it has other houses, offices, and even a baseball field. The Richmond Memorial Library, another historic building, is also nearby. The church sits on a small hill, making it stand out.
There are three main buildings on the church property. The church building itself is in the middle. To its northeast is the rectory, where the church's leader lives. There is also a small storage building. A stone wall with steps separates the church lawn from the street. All the buildings, except for the storage building, are considered important parts of the historic listing.
The Church Building
The church building has three main parts. The largest part is the main block, which holds the sanctuary (the main worship area). It is made of sandstone and has a steep roof covered in blue and gray slate. A tall, square bell tower stands at the front of the church.
Along the sides of the church, you can see stone supports called buttresses. The doors and stained glass windows are arched, like those found in Tudor Revival style buildings. The large windows have detailed stone patterns called mullions. Smaller windows are higher up, in an area called the clerestory.
The main entrance is at the bottom of the bell tower. Above it is a large window and an empty space where a statue might go. A Celtic cross design is carved into the stone near the top of the tower.
On the west side of the church is the office wing. This part has two stories. The bottom story is made of stone and stucco, and the top story has a half-timbered look. It has a decorative roof and many small casement windows. A newer section, used for education, extends from the north side of the office wing.
Inside the Church
When you enter the church through the tower, you step into a space called the narthex. A wooden screen separates this area from the nave, which is the main seating area for the congregation. The white marble baptismal font is in the middle aisle. The floor is made of terra cotta tiles. The walls are made of stone or plaster that looks like stone. Dark stained oak panels and pews (church benches) complete the look.
On the west side, there is a small altar and a special cabinet called an aumbry. The organ is located behind this area. On the east side, a wooden screen similar to the one at the entrance separates a small chapel.
At the far end of the church is the chancel, which is a special area for the clergy and choir. A stone wall with brass gates separates it from the nave. A white marble pulpit (where sermons are given) and a lectern (a stand for reading) with a brass eagle are on either side of the steps. In the center is the white marble altar. Behind the altar is a decorated screen called a reredos. It has three niches, with a figure of Christ in the middle, and figures of St. James and St. John on the sides. There are also choir stalls for the choir.
The office wing inside is simpler, with plain walls and wooden doors. The education wing has painted concrete block walls. The fellowship hall, where events are held, has a large ceiling with arched wooden supports.
Rectory and Storage Building
The rectory is a two-story house built in the same Tudor Revival style as the church's office wing. It has a garage attached. Its walls are made of stucco with wooden beams, and it has many casement windows. The storage building is a simple wooden building with a rolling door at one end.
History of St. James Episcopal Church
The St. James church community started in 1815. This was very early in the history of Batavia, which was becoming an important town. For many years, the church used two different buildings on Ellicott Street, but those buildings are no longer there.
A woman named Adelaide Richmond Kenny, whose father was a railroad executive, gave money for the new church. She had already given a lot to the community, including helping to start Batavia Hospital.
In the early 1900s, she gave Robert North money to travel to the United Kingdom. She told him to "design a church in the quiet spirit of the English countryside." He received the official job offer just three days after she passed away.
Robert North had studied architecture at Cornell. His trip to England helped him design a church that was inspired by older English country churches. These churches had also inspired other architects who used the Gothic Revival style. North's church was a great example of the Neo-Gothic style, which aimed to make the Gothic style even better.
His design used simple decorations and strong buttresses on the outside. Inside, the tall arch in the tower made the entrance feel like a part of the main worship area, which was a new idea. North also used modern materials like reinforced concrete for the floor and cast stone for the window designs. He went on to design 65 more churches in a similar style across Western New York.
The rectory was built in 1929. In 1953, the education wing was added to the church. Inside the sanctuary, the altar was moved away from the wall, which is a common change in modern church services. Other than these changes, the church building and grounds have mostly stayed the same since they were built.
As the church approached its 100th birthday, it faced some difficult times. The costs of keeping up the old building were very high, and the church's savings also decreased. Utility bills alone were very expensive. The church community wondered if they could continue to use the building. However, under a new leader, Stephen Metcalfe, who started in 2010, the church has been working to raise money to fix the aging bell tower and keep the historic building in good condition.
See also
