{"nrhp_refnum":"80002722","name":"St. Thomas Church and Parish House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1--3 W. 53rd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.76084422800005,"lon":-73.97621855999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-04-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A French Gothic Revival church with an adjoining parish house at 1-3 West 53rd Street, on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. Construction began in 1909; the parish house was finished in 1911 and the church in 1914, designed by Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of French Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture, notable for its main portal and rose window, its sculptural ornament, and its richly detailed chancel and reredos. It is also a significant example of the work of Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Goodhue's wood, stone and metal details are described as among the finest of his work.","narrative":"St. Thomas Church and its parish house occupy the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street in Manhattan. Built between 1909 and 1914 from white Kentucky limestone, the church was designed by Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson in the French Gothic style. It replaced an earlier Richard Upjohn church that burned in 1905. Ralph Adams Cram prepared the original plan, while Bertram Goodhue handled ornamental detail and later supervised completion of the interior. The Fifth Avenue facade is divided into three parts, with a deeply recessed portal, statues of saints, and a rose window. Inside, the reredos was designed by Goodhue, modelled by sculptor Lee Lawrie, and carved in stone from Wisconsin. Wooden choir stalls were carved in Boston, and most clerestory windows came from Whitefriars of London. The congregation, the fourth to use a church of this name, has added sculpture to the exterior over time, including figures installed in 1971. The building is recognized for its architecture and craftsmanship.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates 1909-1914)","architect_builder":"Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson","architectural_style":"French Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in religious use. No significant alterations have been made, and decoration continues to be added according to Goodhue's original plan.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:41.348663-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002722.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002722/fee144af59-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002722/fee144af59-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Chris06","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013_Saint_Thomas_Church_(New_York_City)1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Chris06</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013_Saint_Thomas_Church_(New_York_City)1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319947","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Church_(Manhattan)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4356655"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/st-thomas-church-and-parish-house-80002722/"}