Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, The
Also known as: Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation of Washington Heights
Why it's listed
Built in 1932 at the corner of Fort Washington Avenue and West 185th Street in Washington Heights, this church was designed by the firm Cherry & Matz for the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist. It is a three-story building with a double-height sanctuary above a basement, and its massing uses the setbacks typical of Art Deco. The facades are clad in large gray brick with Indiana limestone trim, bronze entrance doors, and aluminum window grilles decorated with spirals and stylized flowers. Inside, the stadium-plan sanctuary is topped by a shallow skylit dome and retains original Art Deco pews and other details. The building matters because Art Deco churches are rare in New York City, where congregations generally chose historical styles, especially Gothic. Cherry & Matz, mostly known for Lutheran churches in traditional styles, designed nothing else like it. The building has remained a house of worship and is now home to the Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation, and its main facades, sanctuary, vestibule and foyer survive largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion C as a rare example of Art Deco applied to a church in New York City, where ecclesiastical design strongly favored historical styles such as Gothic. It was also an unusual commission for Cherry & Matz, a firm whose other known work from the period was in traditional styles.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000620, listed August 31, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 551 Ft. Washington Ave., Manhattan |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | August 31, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000620 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1931 - 1932 |
| Architect / builder | Cherry & Matz |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement/Art Deco |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continuously maintained as a house of worship since 1932; now used by the Hebrew Tabernacle Congregation, with alterations mainly to minor spaces such as offices and classrooms. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.55707, -73.89098 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000620.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5476037
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.