Our Landmark Art Deco Church

Our Landmark Church: Then & Now

In 1865, at the close of the Civil War, the Rev. Dr. Robert Shaw Howland, rector of Church of Holy Apostles (now on West 29th Street), founded our congregation, leading services at the Rutgers Female Institute at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Three years later, Church of the Heavenly Rest was formally established, its name a memorial to soldiers felled in that recent conflict. The congregation then created our first worship space three blocks north, at 551 Fifth Avenue – later described as “one of the fashionable shrines” of our city. There, Heavenly Rest earned a reputation for benevolence, providing meals, shelter, and support to the needy.

As midtown turned commercial, Heavenly Rest’s then rector, the dynamic and foresighted Rev. Dr. Henry Darlington, sold the original building, and negotiated a merger with the Chapel of the Beloved Disciple 45 blocks north, on 89th Street (now the Roman Catholic Church of St. Thomas More), along with the purchase of land at Fifth Avenue and 90th Street, from the widow of industrialist/philanthropist Andrew Carnegie – whose mansion still exists as Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum – with the stipulation that she approve the architecture. It is said that the side door into the Narthex was also a request of hers.

The final design of our building – often referred to as ‘Gothic Deco’ – fell to architect Hardie Phillip. Construction began on All Saints’ Day 1926 and was completed in time to be dedicated on Easter Day, March 31, 1929. Thanks to innovations in engineering, the interior comprises an open plan wherein every part of the church is visible to all who enter. The Nave is bathed with light from stained glass windows (refurbished in 2021-22) depicting principal events of the Christian year. These are complimented by a pair of lancet-arched windows on the western wall and a rose window on the east, above a reredos featuring a massive empty Cross surmounted by the risen Christ. In the Chancel, the altar was moved and turned so clergy face the congregation. After a disastrous electrical fire in 1993, this space was renovated to include a new organ console, English-made choir stalls and re-voiced organ pipes, and its vaulted ceiling was cleaned and painted with stars to represent Heaven. A reminder of that fire, melted stone arches over the console, represent the wings of a dove, as a symbol of peace and rejuvenation. Next to the Nave is our Chapel with its own reredos composed of enameled mosaics bearing the image of Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and chapel namesake, John the Beloved Disciple. 

Under the guidance of the Rt. Rev. Matthew F. Heyd (elected to serve as Bishop for our Diocese as of 2024), Heavenly Rest upgraded its facilities. Projects, besides cleaning CHR’s stained glass and limestone exterior, included repairs to multiple roofs, and creation of an entirely new Undercroft designed for a wide range of in-person, online and hybrid activities. Outreach – A Bigger Table – expanded with live-streamed Sunday services, myriad ministries and programs, and partnership with the lively Bluestone Lane Café.  All Are Welcome Here.