The Church of the Heavenly Rest is an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

church located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 90th Street, opposite

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

and the Carnegie Mansion, on the

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

of New York City. The church is noted for the

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

of its building, location on Museum Mile, Outreach, Thrift, Music and Arts programs, and for some of its congregation members. In 2020, it reported 1,866 members but no figures for attendance or plate and pledge income.

Congregation history

(King1893NYC) pg357 CHURCH OF THE HEAVENLY REST, PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL, FIFTH AVENUE

The church was founded in 1865 (officially established in 1868) by American Civil War veterans, with the assistance of the Reverend Robert Shaw Howland. It was meant as a memorial to soldiers who had died in the American Civil War. By 1900, the church had amassed close to 1000 members. The church was originally located on Fifth Avenue and 46th Street before moving to its present site.

Present church building

The land for the current site was sold to the church in 1926 by

Louise Whitfield Carnegie Louise Whitfield Carnegie (March 7, 1857 – June 24, 1946) was the wife of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Biography Early life Louise Whitfield was born on March 7, 1857 in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. Her parents—Joh ...

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans in ...

's widow. Carnegie purchased the site in 1917 for $1.7 million shortly after a sign was erected reading "for sale without restrictions", his ownership prevented apartment house development there that would intrude on his mansion's surroundings, but the site remained undeveloped with only a few billboards and a lemonade stand on one of the city's most expensive addresses. Its subsequent sale to the church carried the restrictions that the land could only be used "for a Christian church no higher than 75 feet, exclusive of steeple" through 1975.Gray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan’s Significant Buildings and Landmarks. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003), p. 280. The limestone church was designed in the

neo-Gothic style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

by the firm Mayers, Murray & Phillip, successors to Bertram Goodhue. Goodhue died before the first stone was laid. Mayers Murray & Phillip took over construction. It opened Easter Day 1929, seating 1,050, at a cost of $3.2 million. Sculpture was to be executed by Malvina Hoffman,

Lee Lawrie Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...

, and other artists. The architecture and sculpture combined Neo-Gothic styles with

Art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

details. However, over two-thirds of the sculptural program was never executed; sculptor Janet Scudder withdrew from a commission in 1928 after it was downsized. The

Stock Market Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

ended other work and the blocky limestone facade was retained without sculpture. Innovative design features included unobstructed views of the altar, indirect lighting and a high-tech sound system. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2021.

Music program

The church has a number of choirs, including boys' and girls', a mixed adult choir, and a bell choir. For its patronal feast, which is

All Saints' Day All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are k ...

, the hymns "

For All the Saints "For All the Saints" was written as a processional hymn by William Walsham How, who was ultimately the Anglican Bishop of Wakefield. The hymn was first printed in ''Hymns for Saints' Days, and Other Hymns'', by Earl Nelson, 1864. Tune The hymn ...

" and "

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" is a Christian hymn written in Britain by Lesbia Scott and first published in 1929. The hymn is little-known in Britain, not featuring in the Anglican ''New English Hymnal'', but has become very popular in the ...

" are commonly sung.

Notable people

President Chester A. Arthur's funeral took place there.

In popular culture

The church is featured in a scene in the 1997 film '' The Devil's Advocate'' starring

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

. In the film, Kevin finds his wife Mary Ann sitting on a bench in the church, where Mary Ann reveals her naked body to be covered in cuts and bruises, accusing Milton (

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...

) of raping her.The Devil's Advocate: On The Set of New York
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 40.7837, N, 73.958, W, display=title Churches in Manhattan Churches completed in 1929 20th-century Episcopal church buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in New York City Episcopal church buildings in New York City Religious organizations established in 1865 Fifth Avenue Upper East Side 1865 establishments in New York (state) Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan