{"nrhp_refnum":"90000606","name":"Church of St. Mary the Virgin Complex","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"145 W. 46th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.75829702200008,"lon":-73.98360274299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-04-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A block-through Episcopal church complex at 145 West 46th Street in midtown Manhattan, made up of four buildings: the church, parish house, mission house and rectory with lady chapel. It was built in 1894-95 near Times Square.","why_significant":"The complex is a distinctive and highly intact example of late-nineteenth-century French Gothic Revival church architecture. It uses what is described as the earliest documented modern steel structural system in an American church. It also reflects the parish's ties to the Episcopal liturgical revival movement, and holds notable art and craftwork.","narrative":"Occupying a block-through site between West 46th and 47th Streets near Times Square, this Episcopal complex combines a church with a parish house, mission house, rectory and lady chapel. Built in 1894-95 for about $300,000 from a bequest, it came from the office of N. LeBrun & Sons, and the design is often credited to Pierre LeBrun. The church has a rolled steel frame faced in Indiana limestone, which allowed a tall nave without buttressing and is described as the earliest documented modern steel structure in an American church. Its thirteenth-century French Gothic detailing recalls Chartres. Inside are sculpture by J. Massey Rhind, carving by John Kirchmayer, murals by Elliott Daingerfield, Lee Lawrie figures, and a lady chapel ceiling by Ralph Adams Cram. The flanking buildings keep their original room layouts and details. The complex was recognized for its architecture and for its role in the Episcopal liturgical revival.","period_of_significance":"c.1894-c.1930","architect_builder":"N. LeBrun and Sons (attributed to Pierre LeBrun)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th century revivals: French Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in religious use; the parish house, mission house and rectory are described as extremely intact with almost no alterations since construction.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.084167-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/90000606.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000606/24eb2560cb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90000606/24eb2560cb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Americasroof at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Church_of_St._Mary_the_Virgin_139_West_46th_Street.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Americasroof at English Wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"https://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_St._Mary_the_Virgin_139_West_46th_Street.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319389","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Mary_the_Virgin_(Manhattan)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3936290"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/church-of-st-mary-the-virgin-complex-90000606/"}