The Marble Collegiate Church, founded in 1628, is one of the oldest continuous

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

congregations in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The congregation, which is part of two denominations in the

Reformed tradition Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteria ...

—the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

and the

Reformed Church in America The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 82,865 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed ...

—is located at 272

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

at the corner of West 29th Street in the

NoMad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was built in 1851–54 and was designed by Samuel A. Warner in

Romanesque Revival style Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a Architectural style, style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Reviv ...

with Gothic trim. The façade is covered in

Tuckahoe marble Tuckahoe marble (also known as Inwood and Westchester marble) is a type of marble found in southern New York and western Connecticut in the Northeastern United States. Part of the Inwood Formation of the Manhattan Prong, it dates from the Late ...

,, p.80 for which the church, originally called the Fifth Avenue Church, was renamed in 1906., p.140 The building was designated a

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...

in 1967, and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

History

The church congregation was founded in 1628 as the

Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church The Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church is a Dutch Reformed congregation in Manhattan, New York City, which has had a variety of church buildings and now exists in the form of four component bodies: the Marble, Middle, West End and F ...

and was affiliated with the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

, a

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

church in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. During its first 150 years, Marble shared its ministers with the other Collegiate congregations as they developed in the city. This pooling of pastoral ministry was abandoned in 1871. The name "Collegiate" remains as part of the heritage of the four such churches in New York City, and they participate in an administrative unit that oversees physical properties and investments held in common. The other congregations are Middle Collegiate, West End Collegiate, and Fort Washington Collegiate.

Norman Vincent Peale Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American Protestant clergyman, and an author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book '' The Power of Positiv ...

, author of ''

The Power of Positive Thinking ''The Power of Positive Thinking: A Practical Guide to Mastering the Problems of Everyday Living'' is a 1952 self-help book by American minister Norman Vincent Peale. It provides anecdotal "case histories" of positive thinking using a Bible, bi ...

'', served as senior minister from 1932 to 1984. Under Peale's ministry Marble's influence reached national levels and it became known as "America's Hometown Church". On November 19, 1961,

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

married her second husband

Gary Morton Gary Morton (born Morton Gary Goldaper; December 19, 1924 – March 30, 1999) was an American stand-up comedian whose primary venues were hotels and resorts of the Borscht Belt in upstate New York. He was born in New York City, the son of Morr ...

in the church. Following Peale's fifty-two year ministry, Arthur Caliandro served 25 years as the fifth senior minister of Marble Church. In all, he served 42 years on the pastoral staff. During Caliandro's tenure, MarbleVision, the media ministry of Marble Church, was founded, its first woman minister was ordained, and the first women elders received. In addition, the church added its first new

stained-glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window in almost 100 years. In 2009, Michael B. Brown, former pastor of Centenary

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

Church in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, succeeded Caliandro as senior minister. Peale was the reason why the

Trump family The Trump family is the prominent wealthy family of US president Donald Trump. The family is of Bavarians, Bavarian Germans, German and Scottish people, Scottish descent. They are active in business, entertainment, politics, and real estate. ...

came to attend Marble Collegiate Church; Peale also officiated the first marriage of

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

to Ivana Trump in 1977. In 1993, Marble's Minister Arthur Caliandro performed Trump's marriage to Marla Maples in the Grand Ballroom of the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

owned at the time by Trump. During his 2015–16 run for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, Donald Trump claimed to attend Marble Collegiate Church. Marble stated that though he had a history with the church, Trump was not an active member of Marble's congregation. The church takes an LGBT-welcoming,

open and affirming Open and Affirming (ONA) is an official designation of congregations and other settings in the United Church of Christ (UCC) affirming the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and non-binary persons (LGBTQ LGBTQ people are ...

approach to same-gender relationships and non-

cisgender The word ''cisgender'' (often shortened to ''cis''; sometimes ''cissexual'') describes a person whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth, i.e., someone who is not ''transgender''. The prefix '' cis-'' is Latin and ...

identities. This includes the performing of same-sex marriage ceremonies, a designated

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

fellowship (GIFTS), annual participation in the NYC Pride parade and sermons and material on the church website encouraging a historical-critical view of Scripture in opposition to the conservative belief in

Biblical Inerrancy Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible, in its original form, is entirely free from error. The belief in biblical inerrancy is of particular significance within parts of evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelic ...

Pastors

* Daniel A. Poling, 1922–1939 *

, 1932–1984 *Arthur Caliandro, 1984–2009 *Michael B. Brown, 2009–2018 *Michael Bos, 2018–

Stained glass

The nave of Marble Church has ten windows measuring 25 x 5 ft (6.72 x 1.52m). Each window has two semi-circular topped lancets divided by a masonry colonette set within a larger

semi-circular arch In architecture, a semicircular arch is an arch with an intrados (inner surface) shaped like a semicircle. This type of arch was adopted and very widely used by the Romans, thus becoming permanently associated with Roman architecture. Termi ...

, characteristic of Romanesque architecture. The windows are punctuated by free-hanging upper galleries. When the church first opened in 1854, the windows were clear glazed. In 1891 these were replaced with a simple geometric design of blue-green and amber diamond shaped panes. Senior Minister Dr Burrell wanted to fill the nave with a series of windows depicting scenes from the bible although it was over a century before his aspirations were fully realized.

Frederick Wilson (1858–1932)

The first narrative window to be installed in 1900 depicts Joshua Leading the Israelites by Frederick Wilson. Dublin born Wilson was raised in Liverpool and London. English census records from the late 1870s record him working as a stained-glass artist. In 1892 he and his wife emigrated to the United States. From 1893 to 1923 he was employed by the Tiffany Studios, creating over 500 windows and glass mosaics making him by far their most prolific artist. A second Wilson window, Moses and the Burning Bush (1901), was installed the following year. Both windows display elements of the American opalescent style pioneered by Tiffany Studios. File:S3 upper Frederick Wilson Joshua leads the Israelites(1900).jpg File:S4 upper Frederick Wilson Moses and Burning Bush(1901).jpg File:S3 lower Frederick Wilson Joshua leads the Israelites(1900).jpg File:S4 lower Frederick Wilson Moses and Burning Bush(1901).jpg

Roy Coomber (1930–2016)

Almost 100 years passed before any new narrative windows were installed. A committee was formed to continue Dr Burrell’s vision and commission narrative pieces for the other eight windows. The first, by Coomber depicts the Crucifixion and Pentecost. Coomber (1930–2016) studied Art at Brighton College and worked for Goddard and Gibbs of London. His work is found across South West England. File:S5 upper Roy Coomber Crucifixion and Pentecost(1998).jpg File:S5 lower Roy Coomber Crucifixion and Pentecost(1998).jpg

Sarah Hall (b 1951)

Senior ministers Arthur Caliandro and Edwin G. Mulder set up a committee to supervise the new narrative nave windows. The committee engaged the services of the Rambusch Decorating Company , founded in 1898. Martin Rambusch took a very proactive role, organising meetings with the Church Board, ministers and members of various committees to get them involved in the selection process. This led to commissioning two windows by Canadian artist, Sarah Hall. Nativity was created in 2000. Peaceful Kingdom the following year. File:S1 upper Sarah Hall Nativity(2000).jpg File:S2 upper Sarah Hall Peaceable Kingdom(2001).jpg File:S1 lower Sarah Hall Nativity(2000).jpg File:S2 lower Sarah Hall Peaceable Kingdom(2001).jpg

Debora Coombs

The next two windows were by British born artist Debora Coombs, who studied at Edinburgh, Swansea and the Royal College of Art. Coombs moved to America to design an entire scheme of twenty new stained glass windows for St. Mary's Cathedral (Portland, Oregon) described as 'the first jewel in an American crown' Work for the Marble Collegiate on Stilling the Storm began shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre just three miles away. The window shows human response to crisis, just before calm is restored. Coombs’ mastery of the medium manifests itself in the way the leadlines joining each piece of glass disappear into the composition. Her second window depicts the Sermon on the Mount (2004). File:N3 upper Debora Coombs Stilling the Storm(2003).jpg File:N2 upper Debora Coombs Sermon on the Mount(2004).jpg File:N3 lower Debora Coombs Stilling the Storm(2003).jpg File:N2 lower Debora Coombs Sermon on the Mount(2004).jpg

Nikki Vogt

When Marble approached Rambusch to suggest an artist for the next windows they recommended their former head designer/glass painter Nikki Vogt. Vogt said becoming a stained-glass artist was a surprise. "It’s not like you decide to pursue it, it finds you, she says." Vogt worked with Rambusch to create two windows Good Samaritan (2006) and Prodigal Son (2007) with Rambusch fabricating and installing the windows. File:N5 upper Nikki Vogt Good Samaritan(2006).jpg File:N4 upper Nikki Vogt Prodigal son(2007).jpg File:N5 lower Nikki Vogt Good Samaritan(2006).jpg File:N4 lower Nikki Vogt Prodigal son(2007).jpg

Kenneth Crocker

Whilst the two Vogt windows were being manufactured, Rambusch engaged English artist Kenneth Crocker to work on the final window depicting The Creation. As late as 2022, Crocker was working for the Willet Houser Company where he was the designated artist for a new window in the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa documenting its history.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1628 establishments in the Dutch Empire 19th-century Reformed Church in America church buildings Churches completed in 1854 Churches in Manhattan Former Dutch Reformed churches in New York (state) Midtown Manhattan New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County Presidential churches in the United States Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan Reformed Church in America churches Religious organizations established in 1628 Romanesque Revival church buildings in New York City