Middle Collegiate Church
112 2nd Avenue | East Village | built 1892
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1892
Samuel B. Reed's Gothic Revival Middle Collegiate Church rises on Second Avenue
Architect Samuel B. Reed designs the church at 112 Second Avenue, begun in 1891 and faced in rough-cut limestone, with a tall stone spire at its north side. Its ten Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company windows are inspired by drawings by the Dresden artist Heinrich Hoffman.
Source: Daytonian in Manhattan
- 1904
The church unveils three marble tablets for victims of the General Slocum disaster
In the June 1904 General Slocum steamboat fire, Middle Collegiate Church is among the hardest hit of the other congregations, with 48 members of its sewing school, Sunday school, and membership among the dead. On November 1, 1904, three marble tablets honoring the victims are unveiled in the church.
Source: Daytonian in Manhattan
- 1949
The bell rung for the Declaration of Independence is installed in the church's belfry
A bronze bell cast in Amsterdam, first hung at the congregation's Nassau Street church and rung there when news of the Declaration of Independence arrived, is installed in the Second Avenue church in 1949. It rings at every presidential inauguration and death.
- 2020
A six-alarm fire guts the nearly 130-year-old Middle Collegiate Church
A six-alarm fire, accidentally caused by electrical wiring in an adjacent vacant building, spreads to Middle Collegiate Church early on December 5, 2020. The sanctuary roof collapses and the Tiffany stained-glass windows are destroyed, though the stone exterior and bell tower are left standing.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2023
Demolition begins on the fire-damaged church's remaining facade
Nearly three years after the 2020 fire, workers begin demolishing what remains of the Middle Collegiate Church facade in November 2023. The congregation plans to construct a new building incorporating salvaged elements of the historic structure.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Middle Collegiate ChurchWikipedia
- Tragic Loss-- The 1892 Middle Collegiate Church - 112 Second AvenueDaytonian in Manhattan
- 112-114 Second AvenueVillage Preservation: East Village Building Blocks
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