Walking Tour: The gothic Grace Church

     Recently, Lewis and I celebrated our fifth-year anniversary in a neighborhood named Greenwich Village, and we saw Grace Church again.  We decided to explore it during our next mutual Day Off.  I'll tell you about that marvelous structure!  Rising 230-feet high, the spire of this Episcopal church claims part of the city's skyline.  It's a national landmark.  Built in 1846, this pre-Civil War masterpiece has some hidden beauty... if you look close. 

Having read Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, I recall that church entrances were secretly designed to resemble vaginas, in celebration of the ancient worship of women (that the Roman Catholic Church expunged, to claim superiority).

These "doorways to a world" are pretty, too.

That doorknob near a statue reminds me of "Harry Potter" scenes, where statuary or artwork guard the entranceways!

*If you want to see when Lewis and I saw Da Vinci's churchly and secular artwork in Italy, please click this link:

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2022/03/our-trip-to-italy-part-1-of-7-milan.html

     Designed by James Renwick, Jr., Grace Church was his VERY FIRST commissioned job!  He began working on it at the age of 25!  Born to a wealthy Manhattan family, he was NEVER formally educated to be an architect!  He never went to school for it.  Amazingly, he merely learned from his dad.  He did enroll at NYC's "Ivy League" Columbia University at age 12 to study Engineering for 3 years.  To learn the trade (a few years later in 1842), he was Supervisor for the Croton Reservoir.  Below are pictures of it (looking like a prison from the outside, even though pedestrians were allowed to stroll along the promenade atop the walls).  

It was demolished in the 1890s.  In 1907, it was replaced by the gorgeous NY Public Library on Fifth Avenue (after the Library of Congress, it's the 2nd-largest library in America).

     Renwick's rich life allowed him to travel through Europe, and he copied what he liked into his plans for buildings.  His family's political clout got him the job, against opposition.

Before the Gothic Revival started in America, Renwick chose Gothic styles because no other structure in Manhattan had been done in that style.

The wood carving, stained glass, plasterwork, and masonry are utterly amazing.  Such lost arts!

Above, a rear pipe organ augments the double-sided one near the altar/chancel.

Most of the windows were designed by Henry Holiday (what an appropriate name for a guy who created art in a place that celebrates so many holidays).

Even the whimsically curved stairs that lead to the pulpit are handsome done.

Sort of how the early church treated congregations as "cogs in a wheel", this church is all about Compartmentalization (see above and below).

     In reality, turn-of-the-century churches created "box seats/pews" for individual households.  I'm sure the richest sat in the front, but it was designed to make each household pay for the upkeep of their part of the nave.

Below, Lewis sits in a box "for one"!

     Aside from admiring Lewis' ring, notice the intricate woodwork and carpentry skills that adorn the pews.

Absolutely every detail was lavished with thoughtful care.  It certainly breaks the monotony of modern architecture to see tiled mosaic floors and octagon-shaped corner pieces.  Below, the pierce-work of the Baptismal Font cover was all done by hand (since it was before the Industrial Revolution).  

Above, the Edward Potter chantry was added in 1879.

For a whole generation of the populous, it was the most fashionable church in Manhattan.  

(St. Thomas Fifth Avenue--where Lewis and I attend services--was erected in 1914 and stole that title).

The church was included in the funeral "tour" of President Abraham Lincoln's corpse (above).

It withstood the progression of horses to streetcars to automobiles.

It might not be the tallest structure in the neighborhood...

but it's still impressive.  
     Below, the Parish House (Rectory) is practically a mansion.  I'm sure the clergy and staff who reside there are comfy, in "Downton Abbey"-like surroundings.

It's one of the few city churches that has garden / green spaces on either side.  Perfect for wedding pictures!  (and Easter Egg hunts for urban kids).

Famous for its Choir and Men & Boys, it is an oasis in the city

     The church is also funded by its School, which began in the 1930s.  The church built the above buildings (all of them) at the turn-of-the-century, and they continue to funnel monies that augment the collected offerings and donations.  
     Located at Cooper Square, its high school opened in 2011.   Prior to that, the church funded education/English lessons to the city's immigrants.       
     Grace also provides a community outreach program, spiritual education classes for adults, and youth services.  A shelter for homeless men is located in one of the church's Fourth Avenue buildings.  In 1914, it built a hospital nearby, but the Roman Catholic Archdiocese bought it to house their clergy instead.
     Two hundred years after their first congregation assembled (in a building before this one), the parish of Grace Church is still carrying on.
     As for Renwick, he went on to design what is considered his finest achievement--his best-known building: St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.  He was chosen as architect for the cathedral in 1853, construction began in 1858, and the cathedral opened in 1879.  The Catholic cathedral is a mixture of German, French, and English Gothic influences.

Perception. What Is Tangible?

     8 years ago, Patrick K. moved to NYC from the American midwest.  He was a pudgy "aspiring actor".  

Soon after finding an apartment in Brooklyn (it was less gentrified then), he got mugged.  Here are the pix that he shared to compare how his life has improved since that night:

     Things didn't go well for him, socially or romantically, in the gay mecca of Manhattan.  This was his "look" and the crowd he contentedly socialized with.  Unfortunately, that type of "look" will prevent anyone from getting accepted in NYC's gay world.  

Patrick desperately wanted to be accepted, so he shed his originality and authenticity, and copied what the popular gay men did.  Compare his old friends (whom he quickly forgot) to his current "friends", seen below...  

Patrick could not resist socializing amongst "the beautiful people".  A buddy of his got him a gay-friendly bartending job in Hell's Kitchen.  He exercised at the gym, in order to gain approval from others.  He changed his hair, mannerisms (adding phony swishy movements), speech (adding a fake lisp), social circle, clothes, attitude, and priorities (being promiscuous became his most boastful trait).

His first singing gig occurred at a gay bar: The Duplex.

Patrick became a DJ, promoted himself endlessly, and took lots of "sleeveless selfies" for Facebook.  They're all the same.

     I met him during the infancy of his "rising popularity", when he hosted Project Karaoke at Time Out NY's Lounge in Hell's Kitchen. 

He gained notoriety & popularity, which was everything to him.  Yet, his world was very small.

     Recently, he announced his acknowledgement that he hasn't achieved anything "tangible" with his life.  His focus was on nightclubs, parties, alcohol, sex partners, sexy admirers, selfies, traveling to gay destinations, and a wild nightlife.  He never pursued acting again.  After several years of whirlwind unsettlement, he wants to do some "soul searching".  Today, he relocated to California.  (It's amazing how many people move out of NYC for "cleansing").

     I consoled him that he definitely had several years of enjoyment--more than many other citizens of NYC.  His lifestyle and life-choices enabled him to avoid a stuffy routine, doldrums, boredom, typical job constraints, typical job stress, and the issues that most citizens deal with.  I reminded him of all the people he met, social events he was a part of, adventures of intimacy, vacations, brunches, rooftop bars, weekend getaways, and his availability to enjoy a spur-of-the-moment quickies nearly anytime of day.  Many call it a "charmed life"... achieved without doctorate degree, technical skills, overworking, or costing too much of his own money.

     It all seems fantastically fortunate!  A couple of years ago, Patrick shared this story: One night, he rode the subway, and his train pulled into a station.  A darker-skinned woman--resembling a homeless beggar--got on the train.  She neared Patrick and admired the pendant he wore.  Without thinking, he gave it to her.  It wasn't worth much.  She accepted, turned to get off the train, and paused.  Just before the subway doors closed, she looked at him and gently tossed the pendant back at him.  She got off, and the train continued.  He was amazed yet perplexed at the scenario.  He wonders if that was a spiritual "test" that enabled him to have such lucky abundance in his life?  

     The sad part is that Patrick is often depressed and unsure of himself.  Being surrounded by people who judge appearances, he is constantly uncertain if his looks are still good enough.  He worries about being excluded from his clique of "friends", if his physicality becomes unsatisfactory.  He has anxiety issues and temper tantrums.  He craving for more sex partners caused him to miss a soulmate, whom he can never get back.  His craving also prevents him from establishing long-lasting relationships.  At his age of 36, he lacks any employable skills except being a bartender and DJ.
     Was that trade-off / psychological stress worth a few years of sex / faux popularity?

     His life in California was a jarring "wake up".  Outside of NYC's microcosm, he was not as popular as he imagined.  The vibe in California was different, and his tactics didn't work.  In typical NYC style, his NY acquaintances immediately stopped paying attention to him online.  He was quickly forgotten/replaced.  (That's how NYC forces people to stay in their orbit--like Versailles kings).  Hopefully, Patrick's evolution centers his aura, as unhelpful qualities are shed and useful qualities are nurtured.