Church of Our Lady of Lourdes

465 West 142nd Street | Hamilton Heights | built 1904

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.

1901
Father Joseph McMahon founds the parish to serve Hamilton Heights Catholics
Archbishop Michael Corrigan establishes the parish for the growing Catholic population of Hamilton Heights, naming Father Joseph H. McMahon, formerly a curate at St. Patrick's Cathedral, as founding pastor. Working with a limited budget, McMahon spends the next several years arranging to buy architectural salvage from demolished city landmarks rather than commission new stonework. His resourcefulness produces one of New York's earliest examples of large-scale architectural reuse.
Source: Wikipedia
1904
Our Lady of Lourdes is built from pieces of three demolished buildings
Architect Cornelius O'Reilly finished the church in 1904 for $80,000 using salvaged parts. The Venetian Gothic facade came from the National Academy of Design on East 23rd Street, the apse and stained glass from the Lady Chapel work at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and the entrance pedestals from A. T. Stewart's "Marble Palace" mansion on Fifth Avenue.
Source: Wikipedia
1975
July 22
The city designates the patchwork church a landmark
The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Our Lady of Lourdes a New York City landmark on July 22, 1975. The facade design is credited to Peter B. Wight. The parish, founded in 1901, still serves a diverse congregation in the Archdiocese of New York.
Source: Wikipedia

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