Church of the Ascension
36 5th Avenue | Greenwich Village | built 1841
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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.
- 1841
Richard Upjohn's Church of the Ascension is completed
Built in 1840–41 at Fifth Avenue and West 10th Street, the Church of the Ascension was the first church built on Fifth Avenue. Richard Upjohn designed it in the Gothic Revival style. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1844
President John Tyler marries Julia Gardiner at the church
President John Tyler married Julia Gardiner at the Church of the Ascension on June 26, 1844. The church, the first built on Fifth Avenue, had been completed three years earlier.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1885
Stanford White remodels the church interior
Stanford White remodeled the interior of the church between 1885 and 1888. The church contains John La Farge's altar mural The Ascension, about 30 by 35 feet, considered one of his best works. It also has a marble reredos by Louis Saint-Gaudens, brother of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and stained glass by La Farge and John Humphreys Johnston.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1929
The church begins leaving its doors unlocked around the clock
Starting in 1929, the Church of the Ascension leaves its doors unlocked day and night so anyone passing on Fifth Avenue can step inside. The policy continues for nearly four decades before ending in October 1966. It reflects the parish's open-door approach to the surrounding Greenwich Village neighborhood.
Source: Daytonian in Manhattan
- 1987
The church is designated a National Historic Landmark
The National Park Service designates the Church of the Ascension a National Historic Landmark on December 23, 1987. The recognition honors Richard Upjohn's 1841 Gothic Revival design and the elaborate 1880s interior remodeling led by Stanford White, John La Farge, and Louis Saint-Gaudens. The church already sits within the Greenwich Village Historic District, designated in 1969.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Church of the Ascension, Episcopal (Manhattan)Wikipedia
- The 1841 Church of the Ascension - 36 5th AvenueDaytonian in Manhattan
- Then & Now photos: The Church of the AscensionVillage Preservation: Greenwich Village Then & Now
Nearby
- 40 5th Avenue2 entries
- Rectory of the Church of the Ascension7 West 10th Street | 2 entries
- Church of the Ascension Parish House12 West 11th Street | 4 entries
- Milbank House11A West 10th Street | 3 entries
- Jacob R. Pentz House14 West 11th Street | 3 entries
- Joseph H. Coates House16 West 11th Street | 4 entries