St. James Church (Queens)
Church in Queens, New York / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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St. James Church (also known as Church of England in America, Mission Church at Newtown, St. James Protestant Episcopal Church, Parish Hall, and Community Hall) is a historic Episcopal church building at 86-02 Broadway in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It is the city's oldest surviving Anglican building and Church of England mission church. It is also alternatively called the Old St. James Church to distinguish it from the St. James Episcopal Church two blocks away.
St. James Church | |
---|---|
Old St. James Church | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Episcopal Church |
Ownership | Episcopal Diocese of Long Island |
Status | Used as community center only |
Location | |
Location | 86-02 Broadway, Elmhurst, Queens |
State | New York |
Country | United States |
Geographic coordinates | 40°44′18″N 73°52′40″W |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | James Moore |
Style | Colonial, Post-medieval English |
Date established | 1704 |
Groundbreaking | 1735 |
Completed | 1736 |
Specifications | |
Direction of façade | East |
Length | 58 feet (18 m) (main structure) 25 feet (7.6 m) (annex) |
Width | 30 feet (9.1 m) (main structure) 15 feet (4.6 m) (annex) |
Materials | Wood |
St. James Church | |
Location | 86-02 Broadway, Elmhurst, New York |
Coordinates | 40°44′18″N 73°52′40″W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1735–1736 |
Architect | Moore, James, of Newton |
Architectural style | Colonial, Post-medieval English |
NRHP reference No. | 99001331[1] |
NYCL No. | 2593 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 12, 1999 |
Designated NYCL | September 19, 2017 |
Ever since Elmhurst was established in 1652 as the town of Middleburgh (later Newtown), it had been religiously diverse, although the Church of England became the Province of New York's official religion in 1693. The Mission Church at Newtowne was founded in 1704 as a mission of a parish based in Jamaica, Queens. The parish built its Newtown structure in 1735–1736 and became separate in 1761. The congregation used the building until a new church was built nearby in 1848, whereupon the old structure became a parish building. The church was extensively repaired and expanded several times in the 18th and 19th centuries, including a major expansion in 1883. The old church building was used as a parish hall and Sunday school until 1941 when a new parish hall was built behind the newer St. James Episcopal Church. Since then, it has been used by several community groups, and was restored in 2004.
St. James Church is designed in the English Colonial style and consists of the original main section and a rear section built in 1883. The interior features extensive carving and other decorative woodwork features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the church as a city landmark in 2017.