USA > New York > Erie County > Buffalo > History of St. Paul's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. : 1817 to 1888 > Part 7
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Charles W. Evans and John Pease, having been appointed by the vestry a committee to collect subscriptions for the expenses of the Rev. Dr. Shelton to and from Europe, reported on the 2d of April, 1851, that they had collected $843. The vestry granted the leave of absence, and directed that $600 for the rector's salary for six months from Easter Monday, April 21, 1851, be paid to him in advance, in addition to the subscription collected by the committee. Dr. Shelton left Buffalo April 7th, and sailed from New York, in the steamer "Baltic," on April 16, 1851. The vestry directed that the lease of Clinton Hall be given up and the possession of the hall surrendered to the lessors on Easter Monday, April 21, 1851, which was accordingly done.
The congregation mostly attended Trinity and St. John's churches, and the Sunday School was held in McArthur's Hall on Washington Street, near Eagle Street. The organ was removed from Clinton Hall to the basement of the rectory on Pearl Street, and subsequently sold to the Presbyterian Society in Fredonia, N. Y.
On Easter Monday, April 21, 1851, the treasurer reported that he had received $1,985.36 for pew rent in Clinton Hall for the past year, and that the debts of the parish consisted of the $3,500 mortgage on the rectory, and the bond to the Rev. Dr. Shelton for $1,562 for arrears of salary prior to April 1, 1850. The same vestry, clerk, treasurer and building committee were reelected for one year.
* Elected Junior Warden in 1889.
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At a meeting of the vestry, May 17, 1851, a proposition was sub- mitted by different persons to loan to the parish $2,500 to purchase a new organ for the church edifice, to be placed therein by the following October, the organ to belong to these persons until paid for by the parish. This offer was accepted.
August 12, 1851, the treasurer reported that the building committee had expended $52, 105.73 on the church edifice, and had received from all sources $51, 148.32, leaving a balance of $957.41 due to the treasurer.
Rev. Dr. Shelton, having returned from England, presided at the vestry meeting, held at the rectory, September 12, 1851.
At a meeting of the vestry, October 20, 1851, the Rev. Dr. Shelton presented the four collection plates, elegantly made of English walnut, for the use of the church. The same were accepted, and the thanks of the vestry made to him for the very handsome and appropriate donation .*
The new edifice of St. Paul's Church was consecrated on Wednes- day morning, October 22, 1851. A procession was formed from the rectory on Pearl Street, and proceeded to the main entrance of the church, where it was met by the vestry, and marched in procession up the main aisle to the chancel, repeating the appropriate and prescribed Psalm. There were present Bishop DeLancey of Western New York, Bishop McCoskry of Michigan, Bishop Strachan of Toronto, and Bishop Field of Newfoundland, eight clergymen from Canada, one from Ohio, one from Indiana, one from Connecticut, one from Penn- sylvania, two from New York, and eighteen from Western New York, in all four bishops and thirty-two presbyters and deacons. The instrument of donation was presented by George B. Webster, the senior warden, and read by the Rev. Mr. Ingersoll, of Trinity Church, Buffalo. The instrument of consecration was read by the Rev. Dr. Shelton, as follows:
WHEREAS, The rector, church wardens and vestrymen of St. Paul's Church, in the City of Buffalo, County of Erie, State of New York and Diocese of Western New York, have, by an instrument this day presented to me, appropriated and given a
* These plates were used until destroyed, with the church, in the fire of May 10, 1888.
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house of worship and service of Almighty God, according to the ministry, doctrine, liturgy, rites and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, have placed the same under my spiritual jurisdiction and that of my succes- sors in office, and have requested me to consecrate it by the name of St. Paul's Church. Now, therefore, be it known that I, William Heathcote DeLancey, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York, having taken the said house of worship under my spiritual jurisdiction and that of my successors in office, did, on this twenty-second day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, under the protection of Almighty God, and in the presence of divers of the clergy and of a public congregation there assembled, consecrate the same to the worship and service of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, by the name of St. Paul's Church. And by these presents declare the said St. Paul's Church to be consecrated accordingly and hereby separated henceforth from all unhallowed, worldly and com- mon uses, and set apart and dedicated to the service of Almighty God for reading and preaching His holy word, for celebrating His holy sacraments, for offering to His Glorious Majesty the sacrifices of prayer, thanksgiving and praise, for blessing the people in His name, and for the performance of all other holy offices according to the terms of His covenant of grace and mercy, in His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and according to the ministry, doctrines, liturgy and usages of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
[SEAL.]
In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my hand and seal, in the city of Buffalo, the day and year above written, and the thirteenth year of my consecration.
WILLIAM HEATHCOTE DELANCEY, Bishop of the Diocese of Western New York.
The morning service was then performed, the sermon was preached by Bishop DeLancey, who also administered the Holy Communion, · assisted by the rector and others of the clergy. A large congregation, including many friends from Canada and other parts, deeply interested in the progress of the church, and warmly attached to the rector of the parish, attended these services.
A correspondent of the " Buffalo Christian Advocate," Methodist, in a communication to that paper, remarked "that it was pleasant to see so many of Christ's Apostles and God's ministering servants in white robes." The correspondent further said " that the weather was very unfavorable, still there was a large attendance of attentive and devout
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listeners. The bishop's sermon was a masterly production, worthy of the man and the occasion ; lucidly setting forth the characteristics of God's house, being made up of prayer, praise, instruction, vows, grace received in answer to our faithful attendance and worship, from the God of Zion, who is always present, and dwelleth in the temples dedicated to His service." The correspondent also said : " The house is a mag- nificent edifice, superior in the architectural skill manifested in the plan and construction, beautifully finished and tastefully ornamented, by far the finest church edifice in the State out of the city of New York."*
The following description of the new church edifice was published in 1850 in the "Gospel Messenger," and signed "C. W. H."
" It is from the designs of Mr. Upjohn, in the First- pointed or Early English style, and exhibits in its different parts every variety of that style. The material is a brown sandstone, quarried near Buffalo. The ground plan of the church consists of a nave 105 feet by 30, aisles 8712 by 16, chancel 26 by 24, chapel on the north, 50 by 28, vestry 12 by 14, north-east and north-west porches, and west tower. ( It will be borne in mind that the chancel, which fronts Main Street, is at the east end.) The extreme length of the church, exter- nally, including the tower, nave, and chancel, is about 140 feet ; and the extreme breadth, including the nave, aisles and chapel, about 95 feet. The ground plan of the church, as much as any feature of it, displays the consummate genius of the architect -- for there were no ordinary difficulties to overcome. A church of very large size was required ; it must occupy nearly the whole of a triangular lot ; and orientation was to be secured, if possible. All these objects have been accomplished in the plan of the church, and without any sacrifice of beauty or convenience.
"The principal entrance is at the west end of the nave, by sliding doors, richly carved with the intersecting Norman arches, which mark
* The main part only of the church was finished at this time ; the stone steps, porches and towers were added later. The spire of the main tower was not finished until 1870, and that of the smaller tower until 1871.
REDUCED FACSIMILES OF TWO LITHOGRAPHIC DRAWINGS OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH. Published during the erection of the new stone edifice in 1851, for the benefit of the " Chime Fund." (See page 314.)
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the origin of pointed architecture. From this point is obtained the finest view of the interior - looking down the long vista of the nave and chancel to the east window at the opposite extremity, a distance of 130 feet. The piers which divide the nave into six bays, are of wood, 2 feet 6 inches in diameter, and of a very fine design, - a square shaft surrounded by eight small columns, alternated with deep recess moldings. The capitals, in their deep hollows and bold projections, display that marked contrast of light and shadow so characteristic of early English architecture. The roof is of a later period than the rest of the church, and is a fine specimen of the noble, open-timber roofs of the fourteenth century. The arches of the nave roof spring from hammer-beams resting upon braces which spring from the vaulting shafts above the piers. Above the vault- ing shafts are tie-beams extending across to the wall plate of the aisles, and similar tie-beams extend between the piers, thus form- ing triforia, open underneath, and the sides filled with geometrical tracery. The tie-beams again are separated by arches springing from the capitals of the piers. The arches of the nave roof are 18 feet in span, and 60 feet from the floor to their apex. The spandrels of all the arches are filled with rich tracery, in which the trefoil and cuspings, characteristic of the transition to middle-pointed architec- ture, are very prominent. The piers and arches are painted a dark brown color, harmonizing perfectly with the exterior of the church, but not in imitation of stone. The roof of the nave is a very rich ultramarine blue.
" The nave projects at the west end one bay beyond the aisles, and the north aisle one bay beyond the chapel. At the west end of each aisle are doors similar to the west doors of the nave, but smaller .* The aisle windows are all lancets, two in each bay, ten feet from the floor, and 18 feet in height, and connected by a double label mould- ing. They are filled with stained glass of a rich salmon color, in small diamond panes, each pane bearing a fleur-de-lis.
* These doors were walled up in 1864 ; see note at foot of page 100.
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" The seats of the nave and aisles are all open, the ends about 3 feet 6 inches high, and 21/2 inches in thickness, pointed and carved with rich tracery. In the head is a cinque-foil, within which is the number of the seat in gold on a blue ground. The nave and aisles contain about 730 sittings ; the chapel 218 on the floor and 192 in the gallery, making in all about 1,140. The central alley of the nave is about six feet broad.
" The chapel occupies the second, third and fourth bays of the north aisle, opening into it by three arches. It contains three ranges of seats like those of the nave, facing east. Its principal entrance is from a lofty porch on the east, beyond which is a passage to the vestry, and also to the small tower containing the circular staircase to the gallery. This gallery occupies all the upper part of the chapel, and is reached by a passage in the second story of the porch, which opens into the north aisle by two arches separated by a small square piece of stone .*
" The organ (a powerful and fine-toned instrument from the manu- factory of House & Co., Buffalo, containing 30 stops) is placed over the vestry, at the east end of the north aisle, and in front of it is a space raised one step and enclosed, for the singers. Near this is the font, of white marble, and octagonal in shape, the alternate panels of the basin sculptured with the Alpha and Omega, the Dove, etc. The pulpit is placed outside the chancel arch on the south, and is entered by steps from the chancel. It is of black walnut, octagonal, sup- ported by a central shaft with open, spandreled arches.
" The chancel opens into the nave by a fine archway of cut stone, 40 feet in height, 20 feet in span, and 2 feet 6 inches in thickness. The sides of the arch are enriched with small clustered shafts, the space between them deeply recessed. The chancel is divided by the
* This gallery over the chapel was afterwards, in 1857, removed. In the illustra- tion given later in this volume, of the interior of the ruins of the east end of the church, after the fire of 1888, the line of the flooring of this gallery is plainly visible, as is also the old doorway leading from the gallery to the tower staircase, and which was closed up and covered with plaster when the gallery was removed, -the intense heat of the fire having peeled off the fresco and exposed the old wall.
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altar-rail into choir, or outer chancel, and sacrarium. The floor of the choir is elevated three steps above the nave, and the sacrarium one step above the choir. The lectern is on the second step of the choir, on the north side, directly under the chancel arch, and is of a very beautiful design - a square central shaft, within four small columns, with foliated capitals, upon which rest the brackets supporting the book· board.
" I may remark here that all the furniture of the church is of black walnut, unpainted. On the north side of the choir are two stalls, and on the south three, all alike and plain, with high ends and shoulders. In front of the stalls are solid desks with kneelers, the fronts paneled with pointed arches, and the book-boards resting on brackets. The altar-rail is of black walnut, supported by eight small spiral shafts of metal gilt, the heads branching out into foliage. The sedilia on the south side of the sacrarium are three in number, the ends very high and terminating in richly carved fleur-de-lis. The altar stands on a foot-pace, 7 feet by 14, under the east window, and some two feet from the wall. The table is a single slab of black walnut 8 feet by 4, and 3 inches thick, supported by slender shafts with open arches, pointed and cusped. It is a very fine piece of work. On the south side of the chancel are two lancet windows, similar to those of the aisles, but filled with glass of deeper and richer hues. The east window is a very fine triplet, the central light about 23 feet in height, and the side lights 18 feet. The central light is filled with circles and quatre-foils alternately, the latter each bearing a crimson cross, on the uppermost of which is a dove descending - on the next below, a lamb. The side lights are filled with other sacred emblems, - the crown, the chalice, etc. The whole effect of the stained glass is very fine ; there is none of that cold, gloomy air which so many of our new churches have, and which the coarse, gray glass in common use almost always produces.
"Of the general effect of the exterior of the church we cannot speak with much certainty, as its finest feature, the great tower, is not
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yet seen. On the north of the chancel is a small circular tower, whose upper story contains the bell of the old church. This tower is connected with the chapel by a large closed porch. At the west end of the north porch is a smaller porch.
"One marked feature of the exterior of the church is the simple and substantial character of the stone work. The walls are 2 feet 6 inches in thickness, and the buttresses plain and heavy - those on the corners capped with lofty pinnacles.
"The roof is slated - the slates laid diamond-wise- and has no parapet. Under the eaves of the nave runs a plain corbel-table, and the chancel has one of much richer design. The gable of the chancel is to be crowned by a large floriated cross, and each gable of the nave by a smaller one.
" The finest view of the exterior is from the northeast, at the corner of Main and North Division streets. From this point are seen, finely grouped, the gables of the chapel, nave and chancel, with the lofty north-east porch, and the quaint little round tower at its corner."
The sale of the pews in the new church edifice was by public auction, in the church, on Thursday morning, October 23, 1851, con- ditioned that they should be subject to such annual tax on their valuation as the vestry should determine to be proper for the mainte- nance of public worship in said edifice, and to defray the contingent and other expenses of the parish.
The vestry met at the rectory on Saturday evening, October 25, 1851, and the building committee, with Mr. Upjohn the architect, met with them. There had been a misunderstanding with the architect relative to the stained-glass windows, both as to price and workman- ship. The vestry were also dissatisfied with the great increase of the cost of the edifice over and above the $52,372 it was estimated to cost before the commencement of the work. Mr. Upjohn had cer- tainly not guaranteed that it would not cost more than that sum, and had made his estimates on the different estimates furnished to him in Buffalo for the different portions of the edifice. He had contracted
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that the stained glass windows should be placed in the church for $1,800, and he agreed in writing at this meeting that the said windows should be made satisfactory to the vestry. He also agreed in writing that as the entire cost of the edifice would now be $85,000, yet his five per cent. commissions on the said cost should not exceed five per cent. on the $52,372 as originally estimated, all of which was satisfactory and agreed to by the vestry.
At a meeting of the vestry on Monday evening, October 27, 1851, the treasurer reported that the church edifice had cost, up to that time, $54,581.80, and that he had received from all sources $52,969.95, leav- ing a balance of $1,611.85 due to the treasurer.
The following extracts are from the text of the first sermon preached by Dr. Shelton in the new church edifice, November 2, 1851, directly after his return from Europe. It was printed at the time by request of a committee of the congregation, and is a sermon of remarkable power and beauty ; it is also interesting as giving a résumé of the building of the church, and as "marking an important era in the his- tory of the church and parish." The text is from I. Kings, Chapter IX. 3, "I have heard thy prayer, and thy supplication that thou hast made before me : I have hallowed this house which thou hast built, to put my name there forever : and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually."
" After so long a separation, and so many scenes of varied interest which have transpired since upon this plot of ground, we parted with the house of worship which had been hallowed in the eyes of God, as in our own hearts, we have cause for gratitude that we are permitted (in the Providence of the Almighty Being who presides over the affairs of mortals) to re-assemble under circumstances so auspicious. We conceived, some three years since, the design of parting with an old and time-honored edifice, which had answered its object, and, for us, fulfilled its mission; and of placing on the same unrivaled spot a more noble and fitting edifice, one which should give dignity and all that architectural beauty could confer upon a house devoted to the wor-
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ship and service of Almighty God. This design has been accomplished. We have seen it proceed from step to step, from day to day, from month to month, and from year to year ; after the incipient thought, the notes of preparation ; then the commencement, the demolition of nature's or- naments and the breaking away of ancient bounds ; then the removal of the edifice in which so many associations centered, in which for so many years our prayers and rites of religion have been offered and per- formed ; then the laying, deep and solid, far beneath the surface, the foundation stones, upon which have been reared so successfully, so prosperously - and without accident -these lofty and imposing walls ; from which has sprung this azure arch, supported by these massive columns, illuminated by these beautiful windows. During all this long period, and through all its exposures (by God's blessing) an accident fatal to life or limb has not occurred ; more than this, scarcely an im- pediment to a steady right onward movement has been presented. Neither discord nor disagreement, neither envy nor jealousy, none of the bad passions of the heart, have been allowed to have an entrance in any breast ; but unity of purpose, unity of design, harmony and peace have always been present ; if a momentary misunderstanding resulting from misapprehension has arisen, it has fled away before sounder and holier thoughts, and a just appreciation of the right intent and good will of all parties. Judging of acts by their consequences and results it is safe to say of the generality of those who have given their treasure, their time, their attention, their prayers, to the erection of this glorious edifice, it is their best act in life ; for there has been reared under your auspices, one of the most costly, most fit, and most beautiful Temples of God which can be seen anywhere in the wide extent of this fair land. Rarely has it been surpassed. It does not vie in glorious majesty with those lofty and grand Cathedrals which are the ornament and pride of the Church of Britain ; it has not the cost nor the grandeur of the Temple of Solomon; with these it does not vie ; but it does vie with the churches of any land, however elegant and imposing they may be ; and when I reflect that from the generous and
A
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open-handed liberality, the unselfish, the free-hearted and expansive churchman-like spirit of this comparatively small parish, all this cost has been derived, I cannot refrain from saying that it is a more noble monument, evincing those qualities, than can be found elsewhere in the country in which we dwell. All debt has been eschewed ; you have derived aid from but three persons who are not of your number -every obligation has been promptly and honestly met, by its pay- ment 'in the current money of the merchant.' No blot, no stain, rests upon your honor or your honesty ; the laborer has been deemed worthy of his hire. The distinguished architect should not be allowed to pass unnoticed and unhonored. It is no common intellect that has conceived and perfected these beautiful proportions ! A refined, cultivated and religious taste has been here, giving to every object, to every part, to every line the impress of cultivated archi- tectural skill. The cost has far exceeded, nearly doubled, his design and our intent. It has been his infirmity, and we may pardon that infirmity in consideration of the surpassing beauty that he has achieved.
The enterprise has been blessed with efficient, competent and able artificers, and some of our number have performed what has not been paid for by other coin than that which is best - the reward of an approving conscience - and the luxurious feeling which the sordid and selfish cannot know, which springs up like a bubbling fountain in the hearts of those who love to do for others good, with no desire for other fee or reward. It was no trifling enterprise upon which we embarked, when the decision was made to do what has been effected. It was hazardous on account of the multiplicity of views which possess the minds of men. It always makes us tremu- lous when we unmoor a ship from her fastenings, and commit her to the keeping of the winds and waves. Peacefully, trustfully,
confidingly, the beginning was entered upon - in the same spirit it has been carried forward, and, thus far, completed ; and we give thanks to God that He has in this, as in all other things, prospered and blessed us. There remains another and distinct enterprise ; that which we
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have completed affords all the desired or desirable room in which we may worship and serve God. That which remains is the more orna- mental work, which must be completed, else we shall have put our hand to the plow and looked back. I doubt not, however, the I day will soon be present when all will be completed. . would not over-value costly edifices in which to worship God ; but I would express the opinion that in the presence of such buildings there is a solemnity and reverence which increases devotion and elevates the heart ; which commands the respect of the vile ; which humbles the proud ; which dignifies religion, and inspires reverence in all. Who shall estimate the silent influences of this pile, for ages to come ? - for it is built for the future as well as the present. Who shall count the results upon the unnumbered, both of this age and of that which shall be when we are mouldering in yonder burying-places, and our spirits are with those departed ? Say not that stone and mortar and fair proportions can have no influence in inspiring religious dread or holy devotion ! If Jehovah condescended to descend to the details of the most costly and glorious of temples made with hands, it was that love and reverence might be awakened ; that religion might be pro- moted ; that worship might be more solemn and subdued.
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