John Welch (1825-1894) was a Scottish-born American architect of

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, who designed numerous churches. He was one of the founders of

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

Life and career

John Welch was born March 13, 1825, in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and was trained in architecture in Scotland and England."Obituary" in
Architecture and Building
' 21, no. 21 (November 24, 1894): 252. In 1849 he came to the United States, initially settling in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, where he opened his first office. Welch soon became known as an architect of churches, and in 1857 was among those invited by

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

to form the

. By 1862 Welch had relocated to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, where he would live for the rest of his life. Welch practiced architecture almost until his death, though he fell on hard times, financially, in the early 1890s and was obligated to work odd jobs for the last period of his life.

Personal life

John Welch died November 21, 1894, while eating dinner in a Brooklyn restaurant. He was survived by his wife. Several notices of his death noted that he had been estranged from his family for several years and lived alone."Architect John Welch's Sudden Death" in ''New York Times'', November 22, 1894, 1.

Legacy

The St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, designed and built by Welch during 1888–89, has been said to be "among the largest and finest of nineteenth-century ecclesiastical structures in New York City". ''See also:'' The second Brooklyn Tabernacle, which Welch designed for

Thomas De Witt Talmage Thomas De Witt Talmage (January 7, 1832April 12, 1902) was a preacher, clergyman and divine in the United States who held pastorates in the Reformed Church in America and Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most prominent religious leaders in ...

, was one of the first auditorium plan churches in the United States, a method of church design popularized by others as the Akron Plan. A number of his works are listed on 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 ...

Works

* High Street Presbyterian Church (former), 588 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd,

(1850–52, NRHP 1972) * South Park Calvary United Presbyterian Church, 1035 Broad St,

(1853, NRHP 1972) * St. Paul M. E. Church,

(1853–54, demolished) * R. C. Cathedral of St. Paul, Grant St and Fifth Ave,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

(1855, demolished) * Newark Orphan Asylum (former), 323 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd,

(1856–57, NRHP 1973) * 61st Street M. E. Church, 223 E 61st St,

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 ...

(1873, demolished) * Brooklyn Tabernacle, Schermerhorn St,

(1873–74, burned 1889) * Peoples' Temple, 187 Columbus Ave,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(1878, demolished) * Centenary Queen Square United Church, 95 Wentworth St,

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(1878–82, demolished 2019) * 18th Street M. E. Church (former), 224 18th St,

(1882–83) * Janes M. E. Church, 660 Monroe St,

(1883, partially burned 1984) * First Baptist Church of Williamsburg, 103 Lee Ave,

(1884–85, demolished 2001) * Episcopal Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew, 520 Clinton Ave,

(1888–91, NRHP 1982)Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew NYCL Designation Report (1981) * Sands Street Memorial M. E. Church, 70 Clark St,

(1889–91)
American Architect and Building News
' 39, no. 895 (February 18, 1893): 110. * All Saints Episcopal Church, 286-288 Seventh Ave,

(1892–93)

Gallery of works

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, John American ecclesiastical architects Architects from Brooklyn Founder of American Institute of Architects 1825 births 1894 deaths