Church of the Holy Family

315 East 47th Street | also 323 East 47th Street | Turtle Bay | built 1966

Open on the map4 entries

The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

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.

  1. 1927

    April

    The parish opens its first church in a former brewery

    In November 1924 Cardinal Patrick Hayes creates a separate parish for nearly 9,000 Italian immigrants in the area, headed by Father Daniel De Nonno. The congregation buys property at 315 to 323 East 47th Street, and its new church is dedicated in April 1927 in a brick stucco building that had been a brewery and a stable. Until then, masses were held in the nearby St. Boniface parish hall.

    Source: Wikipedia

  2. 1965

    March 14

    George J. Sole's rebuilt church is dedicated by Cardinal Spellman

    Extensive renovations from 1962 to 1965 turn the old brewery and stable into a modern church designed by architect George J. Sole, at a cost of more than $2.2 million. The project adds a 142-foot aluminum bell tower and a windowless facade of granite panels with crosses. Francis Cardinal Spellman dedicates the church on March 14, 1965.

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 1965

    October

    Pope Paul VI visits the church, the first reigning pope to visit a parish in the Western Hemisphere

    During the first papal visit to the United States, in October 1965, Pope Paul VI meets Protestant, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish representatives at the Church of the Holy Family. It is the first time a reigning pope has visited a parish church anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. A plaque outside the church marks the visit.

    Source: Wikipedia

  4. 1998

    The parish sells its air rights to Donald Trump for $10 million

    In 1998 the Church of the Holy Family sells its unused air rights to Donald Trump for $10 million. Trump combines them with air rights bought from the Japan Society and other neighboring properties to build Trump World Tower, at the First Avenue end of the block.

    Source: Wikipedia

Further reading

Nearby

All 32 buildings with stories in Turtle Bay