The Church of the Immaculate Conception is a parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 414 East 14th Street, near First Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, and previously at 505 East 14th Street.[2]
| The Church of the Immaculate Conception | |
|---|---|
 Former church building in 1914 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | New York, New York |
| Country | United States of America |
| Completed | 1858 |
| Cost | $700,000 (for 1945 convent and school)[1] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Eggers & Higgins (for 1945 convent and school)[1] |
| Website | |
| Immaculate Conception Church, Manhattan | |
History
editThe parish was established in 1855, when a temporary church was established in a carpenter's shop on 15th Street by Rev. Bernard Farrell. The congregation was largely Irish and Italian immigrants who had settled on the East Side. Farrell resigned due to failing health, and his successor, Rev. John Ryan had a new church constructed at 505 14th Street, which was dedicated by Archbishop Hughes in May 1858. Ryan was followed by Rev. William P. Morrogh, who established the parish school.[3] The school opened in 1864, staffed by the Sisters of Charity of New York; the Christian Brothers arrived in 1880 and assumed instruction of the boys.
By the tenure of Monsignor John Edwards in 1875, Immaculate Conception was the largest parish in the city.[4] In 1887, the church was consecrated by Archbishop Michael Corrigan. The church was the site of the 1891 funeral of Congressman Francis Barretto Spinola[5]
When Msgr. William G. Murphy took over in 1906, Immaculate Conception was one of the largest in the archdiocese.[6] The following decades saw a diminishing number of parishioners as members of the congregation moved to other parts of the city. The church was demolished in the 1940s to make way for Stuyvesant Town.
In 1943 the parish took over the chapel and hospital buildings now known as Church of the Immaculate Conception and Clergy Houses, completed in 1896 to designs by Barney and Chapman and formerly owned by Grace Church.
This existing facility was expanded with a four-storey brick convent and parochial school, at 415-419 East 13th Street and 414-416 East 14th Street, designed by Eggers & Higgins for $700,000, and completed in 1945.[1] On February 16, 2023, the Archdiocese of New York announced that the school would close at the end of the current academic year due to falling enrollment levels and pandemic-related issues.[7]
There is another church of the same name on Staten Island established in 1887,[8] and a third in Ditmars, Astoria, Queens,[9] and also Immaculate Conception Church (Bronx).
References
edit- ^ a b c Office for Metropolitan History Archived February 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," (Accessed December 25, 2010).
- ^ The World Almanac 1892 and Book of Facts (New York: Press Publishing, 1892), p.390.
- ^ Lafort, Remigius, S.T.D., Censor (1914). The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. V. 1-3 ... Catholic editing Company. p. 336.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Immaculate Conception Church 125 Anniversary Memorial Book, 1979
- ^ "Gen. Spinola's Funeral. The Body In New-York And Services To Be Held This Morning" (PDF). The New York Times. April 16, 1891. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
The body of Congressman Francis B. Spinola arrived in New-York yesterday afternoon in charge of Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the House Kavanaugh and two or three assistants. It was taken at once to the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fourteenth Street and Avenue A, where funeral services will be held at 10:30 o'clock this morning. ...
- ^ Parish History, ICC
- ^ "12 city Catholic schools will not reopen in the fall". www.ny1.com. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
- ^ Lafort 1914, p. 395.
- ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City. American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (Fifth ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 755. ISBN 978-0-19-538386-7.
