Church-in-the-Gardens, The
Also known as: Community Congregational Christian Church
Why it's listed
Church-in-the-Gardens is a Congregational church campus at 50 Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills Gardens, Queens. It includes a fieldstone church opened in 1915, a Community House built in 1926, a stucco parsonage from 1929 and a Parish Hall completed in 1953. The buildings are described as Tudor Revival, with a Norman-style roof design and red clay tile roofs. Grosvenor Atterbury, supervising architect of the planned suburb, designed the church, and Olivia Sage donated the money to build it on land bought with funds raised by neighborhood residents. He also drew up plans for the Community House with Stowe Phelps and John Almy Tompkins. That building holds a gymnasium and theater hall, a banquet hall and a tile-lined pool. Its half-timbering, rough stucco and tiled cross-gabled roof echo the Arts and Crafts character of the neighborhood. The campus remains an active place of worship and community use.
Significance in brief: The campus is tied to the planned suburb of Forest Hills Gardens, developed by the Russell Sage Foundation under architect Grosvenor Atterbury. The church was funded by Olivia Sage, and the Community House and parsonage follow Atterbury's Arts and Crafts-inspired design for the neighborhood. The excerpt does not state the criteria or the full argument, so this reading is partial.
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 09001086, listed December 11, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | December 11, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09001086 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Grosvenor Atterbury (church, Community House with Stowe Phelps and John Almy Tompkins); Wagner (Parish House) |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Church, Community House and Parish Hall remain in use for religion, recreation and community activities; the former parsonage is a rental property. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.71845, -73.84090 (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 09001086.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q22329567
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.