{"nrhp_refnum":"87002593","name":"Church of the Ascension (Protestant Episcopal)","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"36--38 Fifth Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.733768628000036,"lon":-73.99571878257075,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-12-23","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1987-12-23","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A fieldstone Gothic Revival Episcopal church at 36-38 Fifth Avenue (Fifth Avenue at 10th Street) in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, built 1840-1841 and designed by Richard Upjohn.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the church as an early Richard Upjohn design, produced while he was designing Trinity Church, that helped establish his reputation and style. It retains outstanding integrity, and its interior is notable for later work by John LaFarge, Louis Saint-Gaudens, Stanford White, Charles McKim and D. Maitland Armstrong. The church is also tied to the history of Episcopal parishes in New York and to Greenwich Village's artistic community.","narrative":"Built in 1840-1841 at Fifth Avenue and 10th Street in Greenwich Village, the Church of the Ascension is a fieldstone Gothic Revival church designed by Richard Upjohn. It replaced the congregation's earlier Canal Street building, which burned during services on June 30, 1839. Upjohn gave it a square central tower serving as the entrance, a nave raised above side aisles with clerestory windows, and flying buttresses. The design was austere, and the chancel was kept shallow at the wishes of the Low Church rector. The interior was transformed from the 1880s under Rev. E. Winchester Donald. Galleries were removed and stained glass added, including windows by John LaFarge. The chancel brought together LaFarge's large painting of the Ascension, Louis Saint-Gaudens's relief angels, and a setting by Stanford White. Charles McKim designed the pulpit. President John Tyler married Julia Gardiner here in 1844. The church remains an active, well-maintained congregation.","period_of_significance":"1840-1841","architect_builder":"Richard Upjohn (1802-1878)","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition, beautifully maintained and sustained by an active congregation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.396832-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/87002593_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002593/be935bee19-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002593/be935bee19-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"David Shankbone; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 20:11, 26 March 2011 (UTC)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_the_Ascension_by_David_Shankbone_crop.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">David Shankbone; cropped by Beyond My Ken (talk) 20:11, 26 March 2011 (UTC)</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_the_Ascension_by_David_Shankbone_crop.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"79001604","name":"Greenwich Village Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/greenwich-village-historic-district-additional-documentation-79001604/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315818","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Ascension,_Episcopal_(Manhattan)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5117796"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/church-of-the-ascension-protestant-episcopal-87002593/"}