Memorial Church of the Holy Cross
Why it's listed
Memorial Church of the Holy Cross, at 841 Bleecker Street in east Utica, is a stone church completed in 1891 and designed by architect and engineer James Constable, Jr. It began as an Episcopal mission founded in 1871 and sponsored by Grace Church. The cruciform building has rough-cut quarry stone walls trimmed in dark bluestone, staged buttresses, Gothic-arched windows, steep slate roofs and a corner bell tower topped by a stone steeple. Inside, oak pews, open trusses and stained glass survive largely unchanged. A stone wing for a choir room and apartment was added in 1932. The Episcopal parish merged with another congregation in 1957, and in 1960 the building was sold to a Ukrainian Orthodox congregation on the condition that it remain in religious use. That congregation made minor, reversible changes, including an iconostasis, and still uses the church. It is recognized as a well-preserved example of High Victorian Gothic church design and a landmark on Bleecker Street.
Significance in brief: The church is significant under Criterion C as a distinguished and largely intact example of High Victorian Gothic religious architecture in Utica. It combines a cruciform plan, polychrome masonry walls, pointed arches, steep slate gable roofs and an all-stone steeple. It also retains substantial integrity of design and materials from its period of significance.
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 00000823, listed July 20, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 841 Bleecker St., Utica |
|---|---|
| County | Oneida County |
| Listed | July 20, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000823 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1891-1932 |
| Architect / builder | James Constable, Jr. (Architect) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Gothic (High Victorian Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Remains in regular use for religious services by a Ukrainian Orthodox congregation, which acquired it in 1960 and continues to maintain it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 43.09722, -75.21335 (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 00000823.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6815366
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.