St. Monica Church (Manhattan)
| Church of St. Monica | |
|---|---|
 Photographed in 2008 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Town or city | New York, New York |
| Country | United States of America |
| Construction started | 1926 (for school and convent);1955 (for convent)[2] |
| Cost | $120,000(for 1926 school and convent); $275,000 (for 1955 convent)[2] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Schickel & Ditmars (for church);[1] Thomas Dunn of 37 West 57th Street (for 1926 school and convent);[2] Brown-Guenther-Booss of 1860 Broadway (for 1955 convent)[2] |
| Website | |
| St. Monica's Church, Manhattan | |
The Church of St. Monica, commonly referred to as St. Monica's, is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 413 East 79th Street, Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1879.[3]
History
The fourth Catholic parish on the Upper East Side, St. Monica's was founded by Fr. John Treanor, pastor of the Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole (now the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola). Fr. James J. Dougherty was appointed the first pastor, and in 1880 he began conducting Mass over a feed store at 404 East 78th Street. The following year, he purchased land for the construction of the church and school. Construction of the first church building was completed in 1883.[4] In 1892, the address was listed as 409 E 79th Street.[5]
The Rev. John J. Boyle served as acting rector at St. Monica's before becoming the founding pastor of St. Luke's Church (Bronx, New York).[6]
Buildings
The current Gothic Revival church building was erected in 1906 to the designs of the esteemed Roman Catholic church-building architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars.[1]
The Rev. Arthur J. Kenny, rector, had a three- and four-story brick school and convent with tile roof at 410 East 80th Street, built in 1926 to designs of Thomas Dunn of 37 West 57th Street for $120,000 ($2,070,000 in current dollar terms). A three-story convent at 405–413 East 79th Street was built in 1955 to designs by Brown-Guenther-Booss of 1860 Broadway for $275,000 ($3,130,000 in current dollar terms).[2]
Pastors
- Rev. John Treanor (1879–1880)
- Rev. James J. Dougherty (1880-1890s)
- Rev. John J. Boyle (Acting Rector in 1890s)
- Rev. James P. Hughes was assigned here (presumably as assistant) in 1904; while Rev. William S. Creedan was transferred from here to St. Andrew's Church (Manhattan)[7]
- Rev. Arthur J. Kenny (1920s)
St. Monica's Parish School
The parish school opened in 1883, operated by the Sisters of Charity of New York. The Sisters of St. Francis assumed operations in 1944. After several years of declining enrollment, however, the school was closed in 1974.
References
- ^ a b William Schickel at archINFORM
- ^ a b c d e Office for Metropolitan History, "Manhattan NB Database 1900–1986," (Accessed Dec 25, 2010).
- ^ Dolkart, Andrew S; Postal, Matthew A. (2004). Guide to New York City Landmarks. New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (Author of Forward) (Third ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 295.
- ^ Parish History, retrieved January 28, 2010
- ^ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
- ^ “Father Boyle was born in New York City, educated at Fordham University, and ordained at St. Joseph's Seminary. His first charge was as assistant at Goshen, then at St. Rose's and St. Joseph's, New York City, and then was acting rector at St. Monica's in New York and at Suffern, until sent to found St. Luke’s. He is assisted by Father Gilmore and Daly, and was appointed by the city authorities chaplain to Riverside Hospital on North Brother Island.” See Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.388.
- ^ "Changes in Catholic Clergy: Archbishop Farley Announces a Number of Assignments and Transfers", New York Times, Jun 11, 1904. Retrieved July 21, 2011, Excerpt: "Martin J. Burke. from St. Joseph's to the Church of the Nativity, city; the Roy. Anthony J. Morgan, from the Church of the Guardian Angels to the Mission of ..."
