St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Hoosick Falls, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Mark's Episcopal Church |
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West elevation and tower, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church in the United States of America |
| Leadership | Interim |
| Year consecrated | 1860 |
| Location | |
| Location | Hoosick Falls, NY |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Henry Dudley |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1858 |
| Completed | 1860 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Capacity | 250 |
| Materials | brick, stone, stucco, slate |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | 2000 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 00000836 |
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a historic church located in Hoosick Falls, New York. This beautiful brick building was built in the mid-1800s. The church community itself began in the 1830s.
A famous architect named Henry Dudley designed the church. He followed special rules for Episcopal church design. These rules were based on old English country churches. He chose brick instead of stone, which was a bit unusual for him. A local business leader, Walter A. Wood, likely hired him.
Over the years, the church had several additions and updates. A new church hall was added in the early 1900s. In 2000, St. Mark's Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a very important historical site.
Contents
Exploring St. Mark's Church Building
The church stands on a small piece of land on Main Street. It is near a village park and the post office. The area around it has a lawn, hedges, and old trees. A driveway leads to a parking lot behind the church. Part of an old iron fence is still there.
The church building has three main parts:
- The main worship area, called the nave.
- A separate bell tower connected to the nave.
- A parish house attached to the south side.
The nave and bell tower are made of brick. The parish house is made of stucco over a wood frame.
Design of the Main Church Area
The nave has a very steep gable roof covered in slate. It has strong corner supports called buttresses. The front of the church has a small enclosed porch. It also has a similar roof and buttresses. Two tall, narrow windows, called lancet windows, are on each side of the porch. A round window, known as a rose window, is above the porch.
The roofline has a decorative cornice. Two fancy brackets are at the very top. The main entrance has double wooden doors. These doors have decorative iron hinges. The doorway is shaped like a pointed arch and made of limestone.
Later additions have changed the original side walls. Two lancet windows remain on the south side. There are also windows that stick out from the roof, called dormers. The north side has an addition that created a side aisle. This part has paired lancet windows and a flat, sloping roof. A transept (a part that crosses the main church) is at the back. It has lancet windows and a steep roof. The one-and-a-half-story parish hall extends from the south. It also has a steep gabled roof. The windows on the parish hall have decorative hood moldings.
The Bell Tower and Its Features
Narrow lancet windows light the small building connecting to the bell tower. The tower has four levels, each marked by sandstone trim. Corner buttresses go up two stories. The first level has an entrance similar to the front of the church. The second level has a lancet window on the east and west sides. The third level holds a clock. The fourth level has a pointed arch opening with louvers. These openings house Meneely chimes. The tower's hipped roof has triangular vents. A cross sits at the very top.
Inside the Church Sanctuary
Inside, the worship area has a special ceiling called a hammerbeam roof. It features dark stained wood trusses. The walls are plaster. The church still has its original pews. There is a lectern with a brass eagle and beautiful stained glass windows from different times. In the chancel (the area around the altar), there is a marble altar. This altar originally came from another church. There is also a detailed oak reredos (a screen or decoration behind the altar).
A Look at St. Mark's History
The St. Mark's church group started in 1833. They first held services in the local schoolhouse. Later, they met in a meetinghouse. After twenty years, the group was large enough to build its own church.
Walter A. Wood's Role
Walter A. Wood was very important in building the church. He later became a major industrialist in Hoosick Falls. He made mechanical mowers and reapers. Wood often visited Troy, the county seat. He knew about Henry Dudley's work there. Dudley designed St. John's Episcopal Church and buildings at Oakwood Cemetery. Dudley also designed Wood's own house, which is no longer standing.
Architect Henry Dudley's Vision
Henry Dudley was an English immigrant. He was part of the New York Ecclesiological Society. This group believed that Episcopal churches should look like English country churches. They felt this style fit better in small towns than the popular Greek Revival churches of the time. They also wanted churches to be simple. They believed a church did not need fancy decorations to be good. Churches designed by this group often had steep roofs and clear separate areas for different functions.
The use of brick for St. Mark's was unusual for Dudley. Most of his other churches were made of stone. It is not known why brick was chosen. Perhaps brick was easier to get in Hoosick Falls at that time. This might have made it cheaper to build the church.
Construction and Changes Over Time
Construction on the main part of the church began in 1858. It was finished and officially opened in 1860. Dudley designed later additions, like the north aisle and transept, in 1865. In the next twenty years, chimes were added to the tower. The altar windows were also installed. The church was updated in 1880, but its design did not change. Ten years later, the chancel area was made larger.
The last big addition was the parish hall. It was built in 1912–13, almost 20 years after Dudley passed away. The large hall on the first floor was divided into classrooms in the mid-1900s. Since then, the church has stayed mostly the same.
See also
