St. James' Episcopal Church and Parish House
Why it's listed
St. James' Episcopal Church is a small stone church with an attached parish house on a one-acre lawn at 2500 Jerome Avenue in the Fordham section of the Bronx. Designed in 1863 by English-born architect Henry Dudley and built in 1863-64, it is modeled on an Early English parish church, with random native stone, red sandstone trim, lancet windows, a rose window and a steep slate roof. Its clearly separated nave, aisles, transept, chancel and porch follow the ecclesiological ideas that shaped mid-nineteenth-century Episcopal design. Inside are timber arcades, cross vaults and stained glass from Munich and Tiffany Studios. The parish house, designed by Henry Kilburn, was added in 1891. The church was valued as one of the city's finest Gothic Revival religious buildings and as a survivor from the era when the area was rural, now surrounded by dense urban development beside St. James Park.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as one of New York City's finest Gothic Revival religious buildings. It reflects the mid-nineteenth-century ecclesiology movement in Episcopal church design and was designed by Henry Dudley, a leading exponent of that movement in North America. It is also one of the few reminders of the period when this part of the city was farms and country estates.
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 82003347, listed September 30, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2500 Jerome Ave., New York |
|---|---|
| County | The Bronx |
| Listed | September 30, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82003347 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Henry Dudley; Henry Kilburn |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival (Early English style parish church modeled on ecclesiological principles) |
| Areas of significance | Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in excellent condition, in religious use. A one-story office addition from 1959 is described as non-contributing. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.86401, -73.89964 (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 82003347.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7588399
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.