First Presbyterian Church Brooklyn Heights from south

The First Presbyterian Church, located at 124 Henry Street between Pierrepont and Clark Streets in the

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, an ...

neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

was built in 1846 and was designed by William B. Olmstead in the Gothic Revival style. The church's memorial doorway was added in 1921 and was designed by

James Gamble Rogers James Gamble Rogers (March 3, 1867 – October 1, 1947) was an American architect. A proponent of what came to be known as Collegiate Gothic architecture, he is best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia Univer ...

. Architecturally, the church's dominant feature is its

crenellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interv ...

tower with pointed arch windows. Many of the stained glass windows in the church are by the

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

Studios. The church – which is part of the

Brooklyn Heights Historic District __NOTOC__ The Brooklyn Heights Historic District is a historic district that comprises much of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It was named a National Historic Landmark in January, 1965, designated a New York City L ...

, created by the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission 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 cu ...

on November 23, 1965Staff (November 23, 1965
"Brooklyn Heights Historic District Designation Report"

– has been described as "solid, stolid and dour," but also as "bold but somewhat naive". The congregation was founded in 1822, at a time when affluent merchants were beginning to move to the neighborhood from

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

. Their original church was located on Cranberry Street between Henry and Hicks Streets, and was where the celebration of Brooklyn's official incorporation as a city was held.Meerse, David "First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn" in , p.454 That site was bought by the Plymouth Church when the First Presbyterian Church, needing to expand, moved to its present location."History"
First Presbyterian Church website At the time of the Old School-New School schism in American Presbyterianism over

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and other issues, some members of the church, in reaction to the "New School"

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

preaching of Dr.

Samuel Hanson Cox Samuel Hanson Cox (August 25, 1793 – October 2, 1880) was an American Presbyterian minister and a leading abolitionist. Cox was born in Rahway, New Jersey to Quaker family. After renouncing his religion and serving in the War of 1812, he s ...

– who was the church's pastor for 17 years – split to start an "Old School" church, located at Remsen and Clinton Streets, while others left to help start the Church of the Pilgrims or joined the Plymouth Church. The congregation began the Heights Fellowship (1949-52) under the leadership of Philip Elliot (1931-1961), to encourage ecumenism, racial harmony and internationalism. This same program was also promoted by Paul Smith at the end of the 1980s.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline, First Presbyterian Church (Brooklyn) Presbyterian churches in New York City Brooklyn Heights Gothic Revival architecture in New York City