Rutgers Presbyterian Church is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

house of worship in

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 ...

. The church's origins date to 1798 in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...

. The first church building was erected on a plot of ground donated by Colonel Henry Rutgers at the corner of what would become

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

and Rutgers Streets. The church building was paid for by contributions from the members. The original charter contained 107 names, and the first church building was dedicated on May 13, 1798. According to the Rutgers Church's official Website, "By 1830… Rutgers had become the largest Presbyterian church in the denomination, with 1,157 members. The old frame church was replaced in 1843 with a large stone structure (still standing and in use as the Roman Catholic Church of St. Teresa)." Church records indicate that this building is a hitherto unrecognized work by the important New York architect Minard Lafever, designed at a time when Lafever was transitioning from an architect who specialized in the Greek Revival to one who employed the Gothic Revival for his churches. The congregation subsequently moved into the Lenox Chapel (29th and Madison) in 1863. They razed it in 1873 and built a new church at that location. Fifteen years later, the congregation sold this property and used the proceeds to build a chapel (1888) and church (1890) at the corner of 73rd Street and Broadway—near the Ansonia Hotel. Rutgers Presbyterian n church house jeh

The church has largely embraced social justice, and has broken with mainstream Christian beliefs. Its congregants are not strictly required to have a traditional based belief in God, the church has hung up a

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

banner, and gender fluid buttons are available for its members.The Presbyterian Church Where Believing in God Isn’t Strictly Necessary
Retrieved September 7, 2019 Today's Rutgers Church was opened in 1926 and is located at 236 West 73rd Street in New York's

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

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External links

Rutgers Presbyterian Church
Churches in Manhattan Upper West Side Presbyterian churches in New York City Presbyterian Church (USA) churches {{Manhattan-Presbyterian-church-stub