LANDMARK WEST! is pleased to present THE BOULEVARD with our partners at the WEST END PRESERVATION SOCIETY.
Spirit of the City
Recent closures of religious organizations and the continued reduction of congregation sizes, leaves the fate of their often historic structures dangerously up in the air. Most notably, the on-going, infamous hardship case by West-Park Presbyterian Church. Religious buildings are as much a part of the fabric of New York City as our tenements or brownstones are, because they represent significant periods of the city’s history, architecture and culture. Repeated closures of places of worship contributes to a loss in the cultural landscape of the city. Several surveys of religious buildings in New York have been published, however a comprehensive overview of Upper West Side places of worship has yet to be undertaken. This project seeks to identify, catalog, and better understand the collection of religious properties on the Upper West Side to not only provide an affectionate description of these cultural landmarks, but also to raise awareness of our sacred space assets, and hopefully safeguard them from over-development.
As Divine New York eloquently states, “each sacred space is a microcosm of the struggle of immigrants, the power of wealth, the need for community, and the human desire to seek spiritual guidance.”¹ Come take a look with us!
With the help of a grant from the Margot Gayle Fund courtesy of the Victorian Society of New York, we can effectively develop and write social histories that celebrate Victorian-era religious structures and architects.
We are actively adding to this page as research develops! Don’t see the House of Worship you are looking for? Please write to landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org if you would like to sponsor the research for additional sites.
¹ Horowitz, M. L., & Hartman, E. A. (2022). Divine new york: Inside the historic churches and synagogues of Manhattan. Abbeville Press Publishers.
How to use this page
Click the relevant photo or “read history” button for that site history. Among these houses of worship, buildings 1837-1917 are considered from the Victorian Era. Sites with a light gray background reflect sites that have been demolished.
Victorian Era Houses of Worship
St. Paul the Apostle
120 West 60th StreetConstructed 1875-1885
Catholic Faith
West Park Presbyterian
165 West 86th StreetConstructed 1884-1890
Presbyterian Faith
St Michael's Episcopal Church
225 West 99th StreetConstructed 1890-1891
Protestant Faith
Holy Name of Jesus
207 West 96th StreetConstructed 1891-1900
Catholic Faith
Annunciation Greek Orthodox
633 West End AvenueConstructed 1892-1893
Greek Orthodox Faith
The Good Shepherd
152 West 66th StreetConstructed 1893
Presbyterian Faith
Mt. Pleasant Baptist
140 West 81st StreetConstructed 1893
Baptist Faith
St. Volodymyr in Manhattan
160 West 82nd StreetConstructed 1893-1894
Ukrainian Orthodox Faith
St. Paul & St. Andrew
263 West 86th StreetConstructed 1895-1896
Methodist Faith
Church of the Ascension
213-221 West 107th StreetConstructed 1896-1897
Catholic Faith
Christ & St Stephan's Episcopal
122-128 West 69th StreetConstructed 1897
Protestant Faith
Chogyesa Temple
42 West 96th StreetConstructed 1897
Buddhist Faith
Fourth Universalist Society
160 Central Park WestConstructed 1897-1898
Christian Faith
Islamic Cultural Center
1 Riverside DriveConstructed 1899-1901
Muslim Faith
First Church of Christ, Scientist
361 Central Park WestConstructed 1899-1903
Christian Faith
Advent Lutheran Church
2504 BroadwayConstructed 1900-1901
Evangelical Lutheran Faith
St Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal
552 West End AvenueConstructed 1901-1902
Protestant Faith
Holy Trinity Lutheran
51 Central Park WestConstructed 1902-1903
Lutheran Faith
Union Baptist Church
202-204 West 63rd StreetConstructed 1904
Baptist Faith
St. Cyprian's
169-171 West 63rd StreetConstructed 1907
Protestant Episcopal Faith
St. Gregory the Great
138-144 West 90th StreetConstructed 1912-13
Catholic Faith
Blessed Sacrament
152 West 71st StreetConstructed 1917
Catholic Faith
Congregation B'nai Jeshurun
257-265 West 88th StreetConstructed 1917-1918
Jewish Faith
Eclectic Era Houses of Worship & Beyond
Young Israel of the West Side
210 West 91st StreetConstructed 1921-1922
Jewish Faith
Congregation Shaare Zedek
212 West 93rd StreetConstructed 1922
Jewish Faith
Cong. Rodeph Sholom
7 West 83rd StreetConstructed 1928-30
Jewish Faith
Rutgers Presbyterian Church
236 West 73rd StreetConstructed 1921-26
Presbyterian Faith
New York Buddhist Church
332 Riverside DriveConstructed 1955
Buddhist Faith
Special thanks to Megan Fitzpatrick and Tom Miller who helped make this project possible.