USA > New York > History of the Church of Zion and St. Timothy of New York 1797-1894 > Part 19
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" And we do also hereby request the Right Reverend Henry Codman Potter, Doctor in Divinity, Bishop of the said Diocese, to take the said building under his spiritual jurisdiction, as Bishop aforesaid, and that of his successors in office, and to consecrate the same by the name of the Church of Zion and St. Timothy, and thereby separate it from all unhallowed, worldly, and common uses, and solemnly dedicate it to the holy purpose above mentioned.
" In Testimony Whereof, We, the said Rector, Wardens, and Vestrymen of the Church of Zion and St. Timothy in the City of New York, have caused this instrument of dona- tion to be sealed with our seal, and to be signed by our Rector and Clerk, on the fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two.
of the Corporation. Seal -
" HENRY LUBECK, Rector,
" A. HOWARD HOPPING, Clerk."
The sentence of consecration was read by the Rev. Dr. Charles C. Tiffany, the Rector was epistoler and the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brewer, gospeller. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Worthing-
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ton preached. His text was: "Thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy gates praise." Isaiah lx., 18. The Bishop spoke in terms of admiration of the building and its appoint- ments. In speaking of the erection of the edifice, he called attention to the need of scaffolding to build higher and higher. Pursuing this figure as a text, he compared the church, its worship, and the sacraments, to scaffoldings for the upbuilding of Christian character, till we attain that per- fection of being, which is described as the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In conclusion, the Bishop referred to the especially attractive feature of the church which has been consecrated. "Its sittings are to be forever free. Here all human distinctions of wealth, or rank, or station, are to be lost sight of, and forgotten in the contem- plation of the realities of the world to come, and the best and more important distinctions are to benefit the eternal condi- tions of things, where the poor may rejoice that they are exalted, and the rich in that they are made low, both rejoic- ing as the children of a common Father. Pardon me if I say that the practice of renting and selling seats in the House of God, cannot be justified upon any principle of the ever- lasting gospel; neither in the synagogue or temple, nor in the Christian Church for more than sixteen centuries was there any such practice. The Church of God is the ordained Body of Christ, and His representatives upon the earth should be as near as possible what He was in the world-friend of the sinners, friend of the people, the home of the poor and the outcast, the refuge of the needy and those in distress,
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kind and gentle, and tender, and affectionate, like a mother spending her life in the embrace of every child, whatever his outward condition, never leaving nor forsaking him in any extremity, always ready to receive him, and always extending towards him her sympathy and her prayers.
" Beloved, can it be that this shall be the House of God, and Gate of Heaven, and Jacob's reverend conclusion not be? How dreadful! God is here ; we know it now. What if here the pathway rise by which Heaven is to be reached, and we find it not? We must walk either by faith or else by sight ; there must be something which we do not see ; we must be pure, must be perfect, must be immortal.
" Oh, what a day might this be in the records of eternity, if all joined in this act of consecration, in true expansiveness of heart should determine reverently and prayerfully to go forth from this place, where God in loving condescension, we believe, had met with us, and make that best of all con- secrations, the dedication of himself, body and soul and spirit, to the love and to the service of God."
The offertory anthem was "Lift up your heads, O ye gates." The communion service followed, and the service ended with Hymn 200, "Pleasant are Thy courts above," as a recessional.
A collation was prepared for the visiting clergy in the parish house.
At the evening service the order of confirmation was held by the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Nebraska, the clergy of the parish taking part in the services. The candidates, numbering forty-
Interior of Church of Zion and St. Timothy.
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one from the parish church, and nineteen from its chapel, were addressed by the Bishop.
The sacred edifice, conspicuous for its size and the chaste and simple beauty of and symmetry of all its parts, deserves an extended description. The church stands on the south- erly side of Fifty-seventh Street, west of Eighth Avenue. It has a frontage of 70 feet and is 165 feet deep. The style of the work is taken from the period of early Gothic archi- tecture, is treated in a simple, massive manner, bringing the whole design within the rightful use of brick and stone, as its constructive material. The principal feature of the exterior on the eastern side is a massive tower, with vigor- ously marked pier buttresses on the corners, with octagonal cone-shaped pinnacles. On the west side a conical turret, with a section of hipped roof, extends from it to the western extremity of the building. The main entrance, with deeply recessed doors, is in the centre, and on either side are smaller entrances. Over the main entrance is a large lancet window, surrounded by a rose window of har- monious proportions. Alleys on each side lead to the parish house, on Fifty-sixth Street.
The promise of the exterior is more than fulfilled by the unique and attractive appearance within. The distinctive feature of the interior is, of course, the sanctuary.
The level of the sanctuary is several feet above the choir- floor, giving greater dignity to the altar and reredos. The roofs and side walls are on the same lines as those in the nave, made very much richer, however, than the latter by
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extra bracing in the open timber work of the roof. A system of double trusses, supported by massive stone clustered columns at the four angles of the transepts, ma- terially assists in dividing the lines of the nave and chancel. These are made special features of in the interior, and give great dignity and strength to the design. The transept ceilings are not allowed to break into the nave roof, but are treated as simple alcoves with lower ceilings than the rest. This feature, it is thought, will tend to give an appearance of greater length to the nave, and better proportion to the interior.
The choir and clergy stalls stand out from the side walls about six feet, allowing a passage-way for communicants to pass from the altar. Piercing the walls which divide the church from the parish house, and placed on either side of the altar, are lancet windows. The thickness of the walls gives a general stability to the work, particularly of those which are arched between the columns, for as the columns are of solid stone, three feet in diameter, so the walls above are equally massive and strong, and are treated with wide bevelled jambs at each window, and with plenty of vigor and strength in the moulded brick arches which spring from column to column.
All the interior walls of the church are finished with red brick, relieved by a gray brick in wide bands. This adds greatly to the beauty of the interior. The roofs are con- structed entirely of open timber work in natural hard pine, colored to suit the expression of the interior.
Reredos and Altar, Church of Zion and St. Timothy.
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REV. HENRY LUBECK, LL.D.
Another important feature of the church is the altar and reredos, erected "In memory of the Rev. George Jarvis Geer, D.D., by voluntary contribution from the Acorn Society, the Sewing Chapter, and other parishioners of St. Timothy's Church." The altar is elevated several feet above the nave floor. It is executed in pure white marble in strong relief, and is composed chiefly of clustered columns with carved caps. The reredos extends on each side of the altar beyond the line of the shelf. It is built of alabaster, in striking relief, with rich Gothic detail and mouldings intro- duced in the upper part. There are five niches in the gen- eral scheme of the design. The one in the centre contains a statue of our Lord, and on either side are the four evangel- ists beautifully sculptured in Caen stone. High above these figures, three prominent pinnacles rise detached from the rear wall. They are the aspiring outlines to the reredos, bringing the whole design into unity with a Gothic memorial window that is placed well above it. This window was for- merly the chancel window of Zion Church.
There are many other gifts clustering around the chancel, well deserving of special mention. The chancel rail, a rod of brass supported by standards, the brass gates more plainly marking the division line which closes in the choir from the nave ; the litany-desk of brass and oak, a memorial of the founder of St. Timothy's Church, all were presented by the Sewing Chapter of the parish guild. The brass cross on the altar is a memorial gift, as is also the pulpit of brass and wood. It once stood in Zion Church, but it has been altered
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by the original donor, and forms a worthy companion to the brass lectern, which also came from a parishioner.
The font of white marble stood in St. Timothy's Church when in Fifty-fourth Street, passed safely through the fire of the church when in Fifty-sixth Street, and now stands near the transept entrance, the laver of regeneration.
A memorial window in the transept, over the font, was designed and executed by Clayton & Bell, of London, and was the gift of Mr. Robert Milbank, Jr., in memory of his wife, Jessie E. Milbank, who died November 25, 1890. The subjects treated are Martha mourning the death of Lazarus, and the Saviour addressing her words of consolation and of immortality. The execution is meritorious, and the color- ing effective.
The chancel and choir floor, and the parapet, are finished in mosaic. The transepts, aisles, and vestibules are similarly paved, of a tint to suit the prevailing color of the building. Just behind the eastern transept wall are the choir-room and sacristy. Above them is the Rector's study.
Two openings from the organ chamber, which is also above the choir room, admit of a display of the organ pipes, one toward the transept, and the other toward the chancel. The organ is from the Roosevelt works, contains fifteen hundred pipes, and has three key manuals with shining pipes of aluminum. This instrument cost $7000. The church is a building of excellent acoustic properties. Its great height, spacious clerestory, brick walls, (no lath and plaster), stone floor, and small amount of upholstery, give
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a splendid ring and vibrancy to every sound. This is notably true in the case of the organ tones, which roll out with sonorous volume.
The disposition of the pews, too, is very judicious, all the seats being between the pillars which support the clerestory, so that every auditor is directly in the line of hearing. The pews, which are of oak, with cushions upholstered in old gold, were made with especial reference to comfort. They are wide and high backed, and will seat about twelve hundred persons. The church is lighted by gas jets which run along the walls just above the arches. It is supplied with the most approved appliance for heating and ventilation, which is considered as nearly perfect as any plan yet devised.
The parish house in the rear of the church, and connected with it, has a frontage on Fifty-sixth Street of ninety-seven feet and a depth of thirty-five feet. It is built of brick, with three boldly pointed gables which break the monotony, and give character to the design. It is three stories in height, and contains a high, spacious and cheerful basement almost wholly above the ground.
A chapel on the main floor, level with the church floor, is capable of seating three hundred and fifty persons. In its walls are placed the memorial tablets removed from Zion Church. It was purposed to insert in the window-frames of this chapel the memorial and other lights composing the large westerly window of Zion Church, which were carefully taken out soon after the sale of the church, and stored with the Tiffany Company ; but when the chapel was prepared
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for their reception, the building committee was informed by the Tiffany Company that through an unfortunate mistake these lights had been added to an accumulation of worthless glass and finally destroyed. As these memorial windows had a value to those interested, because of association, an explanatory letter was required from the Tiffany Company, and copied on the book of minutes.
There are also rooms in the parish house for the various chapters of the parish guild. The building is solid and capacious, and capable of easy interior alterations to meet the demands of the future.
The church edifice and the parish house, inclusive of the organ and the furnishings (exclusive of all memorial and other gifts) cost $185,527.13.
The peal of bells yet hangs in the belfry of the old church on Madison Avenue. The font was presented, through the Woman's Auxiliary, to a church in Charleston. The organ was sold. The brass lectern reverted, according to the con- dition of the gift, to the donor.
" NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 1893.
" At a meeting of the Vestry of the Church of Zion and St. Timothy in the City of New York, held this day, the following resolutions were adopted :
" Resolved, That the Vestry, in accepting, and ordering on record the final report of the building committee, and granting the request of the committee to be discharged, was moved to express to the Rev. Henry Lubeck, Rector, and
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to Messrs. J. Jewell Smith, Frederick W. Devoe, and William S. Hawk, the members of that committee, its grateful acknowledgment of the faithful, intelligent, and satisfactory manner in which they respectively have performed their arduous labors.
" The church edifice in all its solidity and nobleness, in its every detail and expression, reflects not only the conception of the eminently skilful architect, it also evidences the ex- emplary interest and vigilance of the committee to whom the supervision of the construction was confided, and who worthily share the commendation which the church edifice and parish house have called forth."
By order of the Vestry a tablet bearing the following in- scription has been placed on the wall of the central vesti- bule :
CHURCH OF ZION AND SAINT TIMOTHY
OORNER-STONE LAID APRIL 29, 1891
CONSECRATED TO THE SERVICE OF ALMIGHTY GOD APRIL 19, 1892.
BUILDING COMMITTEE
THE RECTOR, REVD. HENRY LUBECK, LL.B.,
JOHN JEWELL SMITH FREDERICK W. DEVOE
WILLIAM S. HAWK.
WILLIAM HALSEY WOOD, ARCHITECT.
JAMES D. MURPHY, BUILDER.
21
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CHURCH OF ZION AND ST. TIMOTHY.
The Rev. Charles C. Tiffany, D.D., Rector Emeritus, has rendered such services as have been requested by the Rector, and has served, as previously for many years, as examining chaplain to the Bishop of New York.
Recently, he has been engaged in writing the history of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America. This labor was consigned to him by the editorial committee of The American Society of Church History, at its annual meeting, held in the City of Washington, December 31, 1890, when it was resolved to undertake the preparation of a series of denominational histories, which would constitute together an American Church History. On May 22, 1894, at a meet- ing of the archdeaconry, Dr. Tiffany was, on the nomination of the Bishop of this diocese, unanimously elected Arch- deacon of New York. Upon his assumption of the duties of the office he resigned his official relation as Rector Emeritus to this parish.
Before closing this historical sketch of the genesis of the Church of Zion and Saint Timothy, and of its four years of existence (two years of this period the parish was without an abiding place), we will briefly summarize from statistics and facts, the vigor and growth that zeal, unity, and system, have already brought forth.
Number of Communicants, Church
864
66 Chapel . 212 - 1076
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REV. HENRY LUBECK, LL.D.
Number of Sunday-school Scholars, Church . 400
66 66 66
Chapel · 450 850
Seating capacity, church and chapel, all
sittings are free .
1600
For the current expenses of this work, under existing conditions, $20,000 are annually required. The income from "The Heirs of Susan Ogden Endowment Fund " (now amounting to nearly $6000), will forever be relied upon to contribute toward the support of the parish church. The only other reliance is that voluntariness which is imbued with the spirit of personal responsibility; thus far it has equalled all wants.
The chapel is sustained by special contributions from members of the parish church, and from some of the former members of Zion Church not connected with this parish, besides offertories at the chapel.
The contributions and offertories of the parish church, for other objects than current expenses, as appear in the last parochial report, amounted to $11,000.
ORGANIST AND CHOIR-MASTER.
Warren Rosecrans Hedden.
The University of "Trinity," Toronto, which, on this continent, has taken the lead in the matter of musical degrees, has recently conferred its enviable distinction of Mus. B. upon Mr. W. R. Hedden. Mr. Hedden passed first
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in the examination, and stands first in the first class, of the first year, of the bestowal of the degree.
CHORISTERS.
Trebles (22).
George Bambach,
William Allen,
George Rockwell,
Frank Winegar,
George Lee,
John Martin,
George Jarrett,
Charles Houston,
Alfred Marks,
Robert Graves,
Arthur Jarrett,
Robert Vreeland,
Edward Allen,
George Wood,
Fred'k Kastner,
Frank Alsdorf,
Hermann Taylor,
Nicholas Richards,
William Kleinschmidt,
Harry Hurst,
Clinton Ellis,
Howard Dey.
Soprano Soloist (I).
Mrs. W. R. Hedden.
Altos (3).
Alfred Allen,
Robert Pepper, John P. Commentz.
Tenors (5).
Messrs. William R. Squire, Charles T. Hustler,
W. Royde Fearn, William J. Adams, Fred'k A. Stahl.
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REV. HENRY LUBECK, LL.D.
Bassos (6).
Messrs. Morris B. Squire, William S. Boyle, Alanson King Hedden, R. Edward Jarrett Harold S. Poole, David Manser.
PARISH HOUSE.
Here, that integral part of the church itself, the Sunday- school, regularly meets in a large and cheerful hall, finished in all its appointments, including a large library. In the brief period since its organization, under its experienced executive officers, and corps of faithful instructors, the growth has been constant and steady, and it now numbers over four hundred scholars.
Here, also, the Guild of the Parish (founded by St. Tim- othy's Church) meets. Under its resourceful methods of organizing it comprises various chapters, each in its own sphere having a definite purpose, and all associated for the attainment of the object set forth in one of its canons : "To assist the Rector in furthering the interests of his cure, as properly belong to parish societies." The guild occupies rooms well adapted for its work. In bringing to a close the seventh year of its existence, although it was a year of com- mercial stagnation everywhere, it reports unparalleled vitality and success in every division and sub-division of its work; that its membership and appropriations have been augmented, the latter amounting to nearly $6000.
The Rector said, when announcing the result of its
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seventh report, that he desired to acknowledge the invalu- able assistance rendered to the parish by the guild.
The Brotherhood of St. Andrew has already become a national institution. Aside from its fundamental object, it maintains a Bible class for men under the direction and instruction of the Rev. Karl Schwartz, an assistant minister of this parish, who has the gift of enchaining the attention of one of the largest Bible classes in this city. It also main- tains a reading-room for young men, an instrumentality un- known in our communion twenty-five years ago. This room is in all respects attractive, well-furnished, liberally supplied with magazines, periodicals, and a well-selected library. Ad- joining, is a room for smoking. The reading-room is open from eight to ten P.M. daily, excepting Sundays. The popu- larity of this promising feature of the Brotherhood's endeavor, is but the beginning of the success which may be expected in the future. Other working agencies that meet in the parish house are the Knights of Temperance, and the Band of Young Crusaders, who do effective service.
The Chapel of Zion and St. Timothy occupies a rented building, known as " Rose Memorial Hall," No. 418 West 4Ist Street, east of Tenth Avenue. The chapel continues its vigorous work in a densely populated part of the city, though necessarily hampered by the want of proper accom- modations. We would here mention, that this need found expression in the will of a respected member of the chapel, Mr. Charles Miles, who died in 1892, bequeathing to this corporation the sum of five thousand dollars toward the
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REV. HENRY LUBECK, LL.D.
building of a chapel, provided it should be erected within five years.
The Sunday-school now numbers four hundred and fifty scholars. The Superintendent, who was in charge when the chapel was allied to Zion Church, continues his faithful and acceptable services and is supported by a staff of capable and interested teachers. The sessions of the school are regularly held (except in midsummer) with a large atten- dance. The school is now in a promising condition, though an increase in the number of teachers is needed.
Bible classes have also been regularly and successfully maintained.
St. Cuthbert's Club, 325 West 4Ist Street, had its origin in 1888, when the chapel was under the auspices of Zion Church. Its membership is composed of young men con- nected with the chapel, and of others living in the neighbor- hood, who desire to avail themselves of the opportunity for social and intellectual entertainment and enjoyment, during the evenings of week days. The room is carpeted, furnished, and provided with a library and interesting games.
This club has already made its impress in that vicinity, having a membership of sixty young men, by whom it is almost entirely maintained.
An Industrial (or Sewing) School, having some two hun- dred and thirty scholars, is also conducted at the chapel, with very gratifying and beneficial results.
Equally significant of prosperity and an incitement to further development is the condition of the temporal inter-
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ests. The parish owns, without an encumbrance, the church edifice and the parish house and the seven lots of land upon which they are built. There is also a fund amounting to $130,275.40, designated "The Heirs of Susan Ogden En- dowment Fund " secured by first mortgage loans upon im- proved real estate located in New York City. The " Hawk Fund," amounting to five thousand dollars, is also invested in a mortgage.
The present Vestry is composed of
Wardens : Messrs John Jewell Smith and Frederick W. Devoe.
Vestrymen : Messrs. Robert Milbank, Horace Manuel, William S. Hawk, A. Howard Hopping, M. Taylor Pyne, William B. Beekman, Clement Cleveland, one vacancy.
While this volume was passing through the press, death caused a vacancy in the Vestry of this parish. Mr. George Montague died suddenly, Tuesday night, July 24th.
The order of services for the Burial of the Dead was held in the Church of Zion and St. Timothy.
The esteem in which Mr. Montague was held by a large circle of friends was manifested by the unusual number who assembled to pay the last offices of their respect.
The following action of his late associates in the Vestry is expressive of the estimation in which he was held by them.
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GEORGE MONTAGUE.
" WHEREAS, Almighty God in His wisdom has called to the rest of Paradise and taken from us our late associate mem- ber and friend, Mr. George Montague, the Vestry of the Church of Zion and St. Timothy in the City of New York unanimously place upon its record the following minute :
" The connection of Mr. Montague with this church goes far back of the organization of the present parish.
" It would give no idea of the value of his services and of the loss sustained by his death to simply state that in St. Timothy's Church he served seven years as Vestryman, eigh- teen years as Warden, and the entire period of those years as Treasurer, and at the time of his decease was a Vestryman in the Church of Zion and St. Timothy.
" It was especially in connection with the finances that our dear friend was efficient, showing exceptional prudence and good judgment and an unusual careful attention to detail. He was largely instrumental in securing an important legacy to St. Timothy's Church and in effecting a most happy union of Zion parish and St. Timothy's parish in 1890, now known as the Church of Zion and St. Timothy.
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