368 West End Avenue - West End Collegiate Church

360-368 West End Avenue

Date: 1891-93

NB Number: 

Type:  Church and School

Architect:  Gibson, Robert W.

Developer/Owner/Builder: Reformed Dutch Church

NYC Landmarks Designation:  Historic District and Individual Landmark

Landmark Designation Report: Individual Landmark & West End Collegiate Extension Historic District

National Register Designation: n/a

Primary Style:  Flemish Renaissance

Primary Facade:   Brick

Stories: 1 & 3

Special Windows: Rose window and dormer windows

Significant Architectural Features: The dominant feature of the church is the elaborate stepped gable of the facade. This also provides the unifying theme for the entire complex since the church’s gable is echoed in a smaller gable on the chapel and is finally repeated in a tiny gable atop the school building. The basic building material of the valls is brown brick but, following the example of old-world models, the surfaces of these structures are trimmed ~th stone-work. Thus, the front elevation of the church is broken up by means of string courses of stone and stone is also used to frame its large rose window. Corner stones (quoins) define the corners of the buildings and underscore the zig zag outlines of the gables, while terra cotta urns elaborate them even further. The wealth of ornamental detail characteristic of Dutch buildings of this period can perhaps best be seen in the dormer windows in the roof which are literally encrusted with stone detail. A handsome lacy spire (fleche) thrusts up from the center of the Church’s high pitched roof.