Preserver Fall 2004

THE

PRESERVER VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1: FALL, 2004

Historic Newsletter Highlighting New Rochelle’s Rich Past

Trinity-St. Paul’s Church

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n the heart of New Rochelle, the graceful spire of Trinity-St. Paul’s Church has towered over the ever-changing landscape of New Rochelle since 1864.

“As to the sacred public edifices, New Rochelle is rather exceptionally fortunate in its churches. Trinity, alone, one of the best works of (Richard) Upjohn, if not his masterpiece, would lend distinction to any suburb fortunate enough to rejoice in its possession,” Montgomery Schuyler wrote (anonymously) in the Architectural Record of April 1909.

Built of rectangular blocks of roughfaced granite, the Gothic Revival building has continually been acclaimed by architectural critics, for its “disposition of the parts and their relation to one another and to the whole... the adjustment, the design and the scale of detail. “Upjohn’s mastery peaks in the church’s tower, which effortlessly tapers from a square base to the belfry and on up to the octagonally shaped spire.

Anchored by a polygonal apse, the tower is also detailed with brownstone trim and tabernacle windows that repeat the shape of the larger windows in the church below. In subtle harmony, all design features compose a most impressive sacred site.

Long before the cornerstone for this structure was laid, worshippers had gathered in a far smaller stone building near this spot. New Rochelle’s founding Huguenots, wishing to conform to the Church of England, built a church here in 1710. King George III gave Trinity its first charter in 1762, and required an annual rent of “one peppercorn” to be paid to the King of England forever, so long as he demanded it. After the Revolutionary War, Trinity became a parish of the Protestant Episcopal Church of America.

In 1823 the “Stone Jug” (as the edifice was called) was replaced by a Gothic structure made of wood.

Enlarged and improved in 1846, the towered church continued serving the congregation until today’s Trinity was dedicated, in 1863.

The exemplary architecture of Trinity–St. Paul’s Church is not all there is to this picture. The grounds of the church and the Parish House relate a history that spans three centuries.

On Trinity’s land, three cemeteries are now one. Beginning with the burial of James Bertine’s daughter in 1802, a cemetery was established just west of the present Parish House and became known as the Trinity Graveyard. Just north of the church site was the Allaire family's private burial ground. A monument to “Alexander the Huguenot” marked the plot and the grave of its first burial. Captain Allaire died in 1782, and his descendants continued to be buried here until the 1940s. The third cemetery, just beyond the Allaire’s, is the oldest.

On land that had been farmed by Louis Bongrand, another of the French émigrés, was the Huguenot Burying Ground. Although it is believed that the cemetery’s first interments were in the late 1600s, the earliest date to be found on a stone marked a 1730s burial.

By Barbara Davis

City of New Rochelle

HISTORICAL & LANDMARKS REVIEW BOARD Melvin Beacher, R.A. Chairman Larry Buster John Heller Gerard Ragone Donald Richards Samuel Spady, Jr. Rosemary Speight Jean Friedman, Preservation Consultant Special thanks to Barbara Davis, Acting City Historian Funding New York State Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Certified Local Government Program.

Please send comments and suggestions to: Historical and Landmarks Review Board c/o Mrs. Sheila Beacher HLRB Secretary Bureau of Buildings City Hall 515 North Avenue New Rochelle, NY 10801 (914) 636-8292

Trinity Episcopal Church and Parish House Huguenot and Division Streets – 1919

The Huguenot Burying Ground, originally located next to what is now Union Avenue and Division Street, was eventually acquired by Trinity Church and all boundaries between the three cemeteries were erased. However, the sites were soon physically divided by the New York-New Haven railway that carved its way through the village in 1849.

The construction of the New England Thruway in 1956 obliterated all but one of the final resting places. The Huguenot Burying Ground and the Allaire cemetery were sacrificed for the six-lane highway.

After much litigation and negotiation, the graves of the two cemeteries were removed, an endeavor paid for by the New England Thruway and coordinated

by Rev. Philip M. Styles of Trinity Church. The early New Rochelleans and their descendants were dug up, placed in special boxes and reburied on the church’s land. Although 178 graves were opened, historians estimated that more than 400 Huguenots and “their Siwanoy Indian friends” had been buried in the first cemetery. Today, a monument in the Trinity yard marks the reinterred graves of the unknowns. The extant stones that were moved with the remains are also here.

Within the rough-cut stone walls of the church, an illustrious array of treasures is safely kept. Artifacts that are frequently referred to as “heirlooms” have been handed down through generations of this

Trinity Episcopal Church – Division Street, circa 1864

extended family — a congregation that was established nearly 300 years ago.

They highlight a long history of the religious organization and, in many cases, the remarkable story that is New Rochelle’s. In the chancel of the church, stained glass windows memorialize Trinity's first three ministers — Rev. Bondet, Rev. Pierre Stouppe and Rev. Michael Houdin, who were buried beneath the first church’s chancel.

Huguenot Street now runs over the spot.

Although Rev. Bondet was a teacher and scholar, the private school Rev. Stouppe conducted here received greater attention, as notables John Jay and Philip Schuyler were among his students. Many other stained glass windows, some of which were crafted by Tiffany, grace the

church. The 19th and 20th century congregants, for whom the windows were dedicated, include such familiar names as Iselin, Weyman, Davenport, Thorne and Lathers.

The 1892 Parish House, which extends past the breezeway on the western side of the church, completes the Trinity portrait. Constructed of the same materials as the church right down to the brownstone trim, the structure was designed by architect F.C. Merry, who also designed the (former) New Rochelle Trust building on Main Street.

Today, downtown revitalization is occurring all around this architectural masterpiece. A complex with such rich historical significance will always have a place in New Rochelle’s local history.

Chairman’s Message

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ew Rochelle’s immensely interesting history and its many architectural styles will always make this City unique. Its collection of diverse architecture is not limited to only residences. In today’s environment of “bigger is better”— oversized additions, insensitive alterations and “tear-downs” —it’s far too easy to lose individual houses. Sometimes we can lose part of our history too.

Many houses in the City date back to before the Civil War and into the late

1800s. But preservation is a constant process, and the splits and ranches of the 1950s can now be considered “old” too.

They tell their own story of a particular time in the City’s development.

In the 1980s New Rochelle saw fit to create not only a designation and review process for landmarks, but a way to preserve residential neighborhoods as historic districts as well. The HLRB strives to preserve the history of a different time along with a neighborhood’s architecture.

But houses are only part of the City’s

heritage. In this issue of THE PRESERVER, we’ll focus on Houses of Worship. One of the special entrance signs (designed by Daniel Loeb) that welcome people to the City — at the intersection of Weaver Street and Quaker Ridge Road — reads “City of Homes, Schools and Houses of Worship”.

These “houses” truly exemplify the extraordinary mix of cultures, races, and religions that have built, and continue to build, our City.

New Rochelle Synagogues: A Brief History

By Barbara Davis

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n 1900 the population of the newly incorporated City of New Rochelle was about 13,000, including 100 Jewish families. Within the next decade these figures doubled, as great numbers of “New Immigrants” from Europe and Russia settled in New Rochelle. During this time the City’s evolving Jewish community began laying the foundations for three synagogues that continue to thrive today.

The first was Anshe Sholom. The Orthodox congregation was formed in the latter part of the 1800’s by a small group of Jewish men—most of whom were downtown merchants who had recently staked their futures in New Rochelle. By 1904 they had constructed the city’s first Jewish house of worship at 31 Bonnefoy Place. By World War II the congregation outgrew this structure, so services were frequently held in Germaina Hall on Mechanic Street.

In 1905 Benjamin Stearns, then president of Anshe Sholom, was joined by a handful of other members of the synagogue in forming a Reformed Jewish congregation. Stearns led the first services in Lambden Hall, which still stands at the corner of Main and Division Streets. Soon the group rented a room above the old post office on Huguenot and Bridge Streets and engaged a rabbi to conduct the reformed services. In 1908, they incorporated as Temple Israel of New Rochelle and purchased the Trinity Lutheran Church at 36 Bank Street (now Division Street.) A year later Rev. S.D. Spear dedicated Temple Israel Synagogue in a “Feast of Eloquence,” as the Evening Standard Star reported. The second synagogue in the City would serve the reformed congregation for almost 20 years.

That same year “15 men representing 50 Jewish families of the conservative leaning” established the city's first Jewish school, the Hebrew Institute, “to foster, encourage, promote, induce and advance the study of the Hebrew language and its literature,’ as described in “The Beth El Story”.

Following World War I, the automobile, improved railroad travel and a bustling downtown were rapidly transforming New Rochelle into one of the most sought-after suburbs. City directories from this period list thriving shops, businesses and services, owned by members of the Jewish community. By the mid 1920s the Hebrew

31 Bonnefoy—first Anshe Sholom.

Institute and Temple Israel had begun to construct larger structures to accommodate the ever-increasing religious, educational and cultural needs of the community.

In 1927 the 202 members of the Hebrew Institute dedicated their new school and religious center at 31 Union Avenue and in 1931 changed their name to Beth-El Synagogue, the third synagogue to serve the New Rochelle Jewish community.

In 1928, Temple Israel set the cornerstone for its new facility on Webster Avenue. This building is now the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

By the 1950s Westchester County had witnessed another tremendous surge in its population. Of the County’s overall Jewish population of 116,000, more than half lived in New Rochelle and Mount Vernon. By May1963, Anshe Sholom synagogue had moved from its Bonnefoy location to its newly constructed synagogue and community center at 44 North Avenue.

In 1962 Temple Israel dedicated its new Pinebrook Boulevard compex, and a “Service of Farewell” was conducted to close its Webster Avenue facility.

The current Beth El Synagogue at North Avenue and Quaker Ridge Road was completed over the course of 21 years. One thousand congregants dedicated the sanctuary on May 2, 1971 and the old Hebrew Institute on Union Avenue was razed in 1985.

Current Anshe Shalom – 44 North Avenue

Temple Israel, Bank Street, 1937

Seventh Day Adventist Church on Webster Avenue – formerly Temple Israel Current Temple Israel on Pinebrook Boulevard

First Methodist church, North Avenue. circa 1930s In 1967, the Orthodox Jewish congregation of Young Israel purchased the First Methodist Church at 1228 North Avenue.

The building was described as “a gem of rural church architecture,”

by Montgomery Schuyler in a 1909 issue of The Architectural Record.

The charming stone structure was further described as being in “perfect congruity of the whole with its surroundings.”

Hebrew Institute, Division Street and Union Avenue, circa 1930s.

Formerly Beth-El Synagogue (building later demolished)

All photos “Courtesy New Rochelle Public Library”

Current Beth El Synagogue – North Avenue & Quaker Ridge Road

Union Baptist Church

By Barbara Davis

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ew Rochelle’s ecclesiastic structures reflect a broad spectrum of architecture as diverse as the spiritual communities they shelter. Each has its own story. The stories frequently illustrate the history of the City itself.

Union Baptist Church, the house of worship located on the corner of Main Street and Locust Avenue, marked a great chapter in its lofty history in October 1994.

It was listed on the Westchester Inventory of Historic Places—the first New Rochelle site to achieve the recognition. The church was chosen for its cultural and historical characteristics and for the exemplary architecture of its 90-year old Neo-Romanesque edifice.

Two different congregations compose the cultural heritage of this church. It was built by a predominately white congregation, Salem Baptist, which no longer exists. Its current congregation, Union Baptist, is one of the City’s earliest black religious organizations.

Organized as the First Baptist Church of New Rochelle in 1849, the Salem congregation first met in a wooden house they had constructed on Rose Street (now North Avenue,) where they adopted the name Salem, a derivative of shalom, the Hebrew word for peace. Within two decades they purchased the property at Locust Avenue and Main Street from Alexander B. Hudson, (for whom Hudson Park is named.) The stone structure they built on this land would serve them from 1870 to 1903, when they began construction of a larger building on the site.

Officially dedicated in 1904, the present edifice was designed by architect Arthur Bates Jennings and built by the firm of V.J. Hedden and Sons at a cost of $54,825.

Jennings configured the church’s interior using the Akron Plan, an open spatial arrangement that, although popular at the turn of the century, is seen in only a few Westchester churches today. His use of ceiling stenciling was also unique—this church is the only one in the county to possess such detailing.

From Tuckahoe quarries, Waverly Marble Co. supplied the marble for the church — the same firm and marble used in the construction of the Metropolitan Life Building and Washington Square Arch in Manhattan.

The Salem Baptist congregation was instrumental in helping black New Rochelleans establish Bethesda Baptist Church in 1888, and Union Baptist soon after. Union Baptist was first established in 1913 with 50 members who had been granted letters of dismissal from Bethesda Baptist Church the year before. In 1915, the Union Baptist congregation held its first baptismal service in the Salem Baptist church at Locust Avenue and Main Street. After having met in four different Union Avenue locations, they purchased St. Paul's German Methodist Episcopal Church, at Union and Webster Avenues, in 1922.

The membership of Salem Baptist peaked in the 1930s with over 600 members. In addition to the various religious activities of the church, the congregation

Formerly Salem-Baptist Church – corner of Locust Avenue and Main Street

bustled with social events such as clambakes and annual strawberry festivals that had first been held at the nearby Lambden estate—now the site of 60-70 Locust Avenue apartments.

By the 1970s Salem Baptist's numbers had dwindled tremendously. After lengthy study, a church committee concluded that “overchurched” New Rochelle could no longer support their congregation. It recommended that Salem Baptist dissolve, liquidating all assets and selling its church to another Baptist congregation. The

building was sold to Union Baptist Church, whose congregation had outgrown its home on the West Side of the city.

Two years later, on July 2, 1972, the transaction was completed. Rev. Clarence Carson and his Union Baptist congregation made an historic walk from their Union Avenue church to their new house of worship at Main Street and Locust Avenue. The 123-year story of Salem Baptist Church had come to a close.

Union Baptist Church was beginning a new chapter. History had come a full circle.

Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church

By Peggy Godfrey

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ust a short block off Main Street in New Rochelle, the spire of Blessed Sacrament Church is visible throughout the downtown area, a structure called by New Rochelle architect Earl Ohlinger “an architectural gem”. Recently, scaffolding appeared on the front of this church to fix the leaning bell tower.

Reverend Monsignor William J. Bradley’s letter to parishioners explained that the church had received a donation of $108,000 from the estate of a parishioner, the late Delancey

Odell. An engineering firm studied the condition of the church’s leaning tower, and reported that the steeple was in imminent danger of collapse.

The former St. Matthew’s Church on Drakes Lane was the first Catholic Church in New Rochelle and was completed in 1848. The church changed its name to the Blessed Sacrament Church and was rededicated in 1874 at its new location. Sixteen years later, in June 1890, the large wooden structure of the church was struck by lightning and burned to its foundation. Only the great bell, which fell from the crumbling tower and into the opening of the cellar, remained. The St. Matthew’s Schoolhouse to the north of the church on Centre Avenue was closed and quickly converted into a temporary church to be used for services. But it was so small that carpenters hastily built a wooden structure, doubling the building’s size.

For the next seven years, the church collected money to build a new church. In 1893, when St. Gabriel’s Church was created, the loss of parishioners north of the railroad tracks made fundraising even more difficult.

Nevertheless, in 1897 the present structure was opened on Centre

Avenue. A noted artist, Francesco Baraldi, painted most of the 53 oil paintings in the church. Another artist, G. Caponi, painted the picture over the altar that represents the Blessed Sacrament. A new altar of Carrera marble with a tabernacle door of solid brass was added. The church’s stained glass windows and marble side altars in the chapels of the Blessed Virgin and the Blessed Sacrament were soon completed. The temporary church on Centre Avenue was changed to “St. Matthew’s Hall” and became a parish recreation center.

It wasn’t until 1938 when a scholarly priest and pastor, Rev. Dr. Francis T. Hanretty, completed the new sanctuary.

Part of the main altar and two side altars were redesigned, incorporating both ancient and modern religious trends.

Some of the paintings were further restored in the 1980s and 90s, along with enhancements to the landscaping.

Recently, after receiving the report that the steeple was in danger of falling, the church contracted with Star Reconstruction to carefully remove the stones one by one and to number them. But it soon became apparent that the damage was much more extensive than first thought. The cement cross on top of the Blessed Sacrament Church steeple, because of its weight (around 3000 pounds), had to be cut and removed in three pieces. The cross was reassembled on the ground and a cast was made so that a new fiberglass cross weighing closer to 150 pounds could replace it.

This fiberglass cross sat on the church’s altar for about a week before it was hoisted up to the top of the steeple, where the original cross had lasted 103 years.

THE

PRESERVER

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VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1: FALL, 2004

Historic Newsletter Highlighting New Rochelle’s Rich Past

City of New Rochelle

HISTORICAL & LANDMARKS REVIEW BOARD

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New Rochelle, NY Permit No .17

Historic Newsletter Highlighting New Rochelle’s Rich Past

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HLRB

St. John’s Church, Wilmot A Little Church, But Rich in History

By Joanne Bartoli

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n a hilltop overlooking the intersection of North Avenue and Wilmot Road sits Saint John’s Church, Wilmot, an Episcopal Church that is the oldest house of worship in continuous use in New Rochelle. It is a Westchester County historical landmark as well as a local New Rochelle landmark. In the mid 1800s Episcopalians residing in the Cooper’s Corners area often had difficulty traveling to Trinity Church, five miles to the south. In 1859 the congregation decided to build Saint John’s Chapel on land donated by Daniel T. Cox, under the auspices of the Trinity Church.

The church’s remarkably preserved original vestry book, written in beautiful flowing script, records the “Secretary’s minutes of St. John’s Chapel – Upper New Rochelle, September 23, 1859”. The meeting had been called “for the purpose of considering the practicability of commencing the building of an Episcopal church” and subsequently voted to solicit bids. On October 5, 1859 a bid of $1,336 was accepted and the cornerstone was laid a week later. It was opened for worship as Saint John’s Chapel on February 4, 1860. Ten months later the building became a church in its own right, incorporated as Saint John’s Church, Wilmot.

Saint John’s is a charming little church, with a bell tower, steeple and beautiful stained glass windows. It is in a carefully tended, serene setting, surrounded by lovely gardens. On the hillside below the church is a weeping cherry tree, appropriately planted in memory of the

WHAT IS THE HLRB? Introducing the Historical and Landmarks Review Board (HLRB)

St. John’s Wilmot Episcopal Church

victims of 9/11. A biblical garden is also located here. Farther down the hillside, close to North Avenue, is the site of the Cooper’s Corners School, built in 1795.

The original foundation still remains, but the schoolhouse was replaced during the 1860s by the current structure. It was used as a public school until 1920 and later became a New Rochelle Police substation. In 1935, the schoolhouse was bought by Saint John’s and used as a parish house and Sunday School, and currently operates as a nursery school.

In 1861 Saint John’s vestry had a threesided horse and carriage shed built behind the church at an expenditure of $120. In 1921 the shed was enclosed and, after a renovation in 1991, it was named Saint Francis’ Cottage. The original support beams and the rough-hewn

timber walls, still bearing the marks where impatient horses gnawed at them, have been preserved. Today the Cottage is used for the coffee hour following the Sunday Service and for other church activities.

Saint John’s is very proud of its rich history, its many years of service to the community, and its open door policy where everyone is warmly welcomed.

Its congregants come not only from New Rochelle, but also from all over Westchester County and beyond. They are united by the strong sense of community that permeates Saint John’s, the pleasure of worshiping together in this quaint and beautiful little gem of a church, and their commitment to preserving this very special place where so many others have worshiped for nearly 150 years.

The HLRB is a seven member City Board, first appointed by City Council in 1985 to preserve New Rochelle’s past and raise awareness of the City’s rich history. The members are all local residents, volunteers, and knowledgeable in local history. The HLRB recommends the designation of districts and landmarks to the City Council, and reviews all exterior renovations and new construction in the local historic district. The Board receives grants annually for various historic preservation projects. The HLRB is committed to identifying, maintaining, and perpetuating the historic elements that make New Rochelle unique.

RECAP: New Rochelle Receives Additional Grant Awards

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ince 1986 the City of New Rochelle has been designated a Certified Local Government (CLG) by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). In addition to technical assistance, the State offers annual grants to CLGs who apply with projects that promote historic preservation in their communities.

New Rochelle began competing for grants in 1996 and since then has received a substantial amount of State funds for eleven projects. The Fall 2002 issue of the Preserver listed projects awarded as of that date.

Since 2002 the City has completed a Manual of Historic House Styles for the Rochelle Park-Rochelle Heights Historic District. This guide provides residents with detailed advice on the restoration of historic homes. It describes various architectural styles found in the neighborhood, and provides general restoration and landscaping information. An index lists manufacturer’s catalogs and specific product information suitable for each style. This manual is useful for other historic neighborhoods as well, and is available in the

New Rochelle Public Library.

Currently the City’s consultants are preparing the nomination of the Rochelle Park-Rochelle Heights district to the National Register of Historic Places. A public meeting and slide show about the neighborhoods was held on November 15, 2004 in City Hall. SHPO expects to considerthenominationattheirDecember meeting in Albany.

If designated, the neighborhood will receive the added distinction of becoming the City’s first National Register Historic District. No additional restrictions are placed on the homeowners, but both Federal and State

legislation is pending that would provide tax credits for the restoration of historic homes.

The most recent funding through the CLG Program was awarded to produce three more issues of the City’s historic preservation newsletter “The Preserver”.

This issue is the first in the latest series that will be produced in 2005. The first three issues were distributed in 1997, and the most recent three issues in 2002. It is hoped that the State will continue to fund this publication so that the City can continue to spread the good news about historic preservation in New Rochelle.