St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Peekskill, New York) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Peter's Episcopal Church |
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Church tower from west, 2008
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Episcopal Church in the United States of America |
| Location | |
| Location | Peekskill, NY USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Richard M. Upjohn |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1892 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | west |
| Spire height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Materials | Stone, slate |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | 2003 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 03000598 |
| Website | |
| St. Peter's Church | |
St. Peter's Episcopal Church is a beautiful old church in Peekskill, New York. It's made of stone and looks like churches from a long time ago. The church has three main buildings and sits on a half-acre of land. It was built in the late 1800s, and more parts were added later.
The church itself started even earlier, before the American Revolution, in a nearby area called Van Cortlandtville. It was first known as Old St. Peter's Church. The building you see today is the third church on this spot. It was designed by a famous architect named Richard M. Upjohn. He made it look like the charming country churches in England that his father, also a well-known architect, used to design. In 2003, St. Peter's Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site.
Contents
Exploring the Church Property
The church property is located at the corner of Howard and North Division streets. It's just outside the main historic area of Peekskill. A park called Pugsley Park is right next to it on the east side. The land gently slopes uphill towards the north.
Main Buildings
There are three important buildings on the church property. These are the church hall, which includes a special covered entrance called a lychgate, the church house, and the parish house. All these buildings are considered important to the church's history and its listing on the National Register.
The Church Building
The main part of the church, called the nave, is a one-story building made of stone. It has a pointed roof covered with slate tiles. Two smaller sections with sloped roofs run along the north and south sides. The lychgate and the bell tower, which were added later, open onto North Division Street.
The lychgate has a wooden roof. The bell tower is 16 feet (about 4.8 meters) square and made of the same stone as the church. It has tall, narrow windows with wooden slats for the bells. The top of the tower has a jagged, castle-like edge and strong supports at its corners. Double doors on the west side lead down to the street.
Inside the church, the nave has a long central walkway with wooden pews on either side. The lower walls are covered in wood, and you can see the wooden beams of the ceiling. The front part of the church, called the chancel, has a tiled floor and a curved ceiling. It features a beautiful marble altar and a decorated screen behind it. The church also has 12 tall, narrow stained glass windows and a round rose window behind the altar.
Other Important Buildings
Howard House
The Howard House is on the northwest side of the property. It used to be where the church's minister lived. It's a two-story brick house with three sections, built in a style called Greek Revival architecture. It has some decorative iron details. A newer part was added to the north, which has a two-story bay window. There's also a one-story brick section at the back.
The front of the main house has decorative vents near the roofline and a fancy trim. The main entrance has a classic design with a window above the door. Inside, many of the original plaster decorations are still there, including the fancy frames around doors and windows.
Frost Memorial Parish House
Behind the Howard House, on the northeast side, is the Frost Memorial Parish House. This is a two-story building with five sections, built in a style called Tudorbethan architecture. It has stucco walls and decorative wooden beams on the outside. Its roof is covered in slate tiles. A similar, flat-roofed addition was built on the south side. The main entrance at the north end is a two-story section that sticks out.
The first floor inside is a large open space used for meetings. It has tile floors, plaster walls, and ceiling beams that look like wood. The second floor is divided into church offices and classrooms for a day-care center.
A Look Back in Time
St. Peter's Church was first started a very long time ago, during the time when America was still a group of colonies. Its first church building was officially opened in 1767, and that building is still used today! In 1838, a man named Ward Howard, who lived in Peekskill, gave the church some land behind his house. A wooden church was then built on this land.
In 1882, the church bought Howard's house and turned it into a home for their minister. Seven years later, in 1889, the church members decided to build a new church on the land Ward Howard had given them. They chose a design by Richard M. Upjohn. His father, Richard Upjohn, was an English immigrant who had designed many famous churches and homes. The younger Upjohn's design for St. Peter's looked like the simple Gothic country churches in England. These were popular designs for Episcopal churches in the Northeast and other areas during that time. Unlike other large buildings from that era, this church has very little extra decoration.
The tall tower, which might have been part of Upjohn's first idea, was added in 1905, after he had passed away. In the 1910s, a new section was added to the back of the Howard House. The parish house was built in 1913. Richard's son, Hobart Upjohn, designed the changes made to the church's inside in 1926. The decorated screen behind the altar was added in 1934. The last change to the buildings was a new section added to the parish house in 1964. It matches the style of the other buildings.
See also
