The Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 211 East 83rd Street, between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. St. Elizabeth's was founded by Slovakian immigrants on the Lower East Side in 1891, and the Upper East Side building was completed in 1918. The Archdiocese of New York issued a decree to close the church on June 30, 2017.
| Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary | |
|---|---|
 Photographed in 2009 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Town or city | Manhattan, New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Completed | 1918[1] |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Masonry brick with terracotta trim |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | ? |
| Website | |
| St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, Manhattan | |
History
editSt. Elizabeth's was founded by Slovakian immigrants on the Lower East Side, with the first Mass celebrated on April 26, 1891, in the basement of St. Bridget's Church on 8th Street and Avenue B.[2][3] The first church building was located 345 East 4th Street, which hosted its first Mass on August 7, 1892. A special feature of The New York Times in 1901, mentioned the church, listed as "the Hungarian church," among other Catholic structures in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, describing the group "for the most part...limit[ing] themselves to the functions of a parish church, in districts where social needs are otherwise supplied." Without comment on other facilities attached.[4]
As parishioners relocated, it became necessary to move the parish. The former Second Emmanuel Lutheran Church church on East 83rd Street, built in 1892, became the new home for St. Elizabeth's on June 7, 1917.[2] It underwent several expansions in the following decades.[2]
As the local Slovak population declined later in the 20th century, Cardinal Cooke redesignated it as a church for the deaf Catholics of New York on July 1, 1980.[2]
In November 2014, the Archdiocese announced that the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary was one of 31 neighborhood parishes which would be merged into other parishes.[5] St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Stephen of Hungary were to be merged into the Church of St. Monica at 413 East 79th Street.[6][7]
The Archdiocese of New York issued a decree to close the church on June 30, 2017.[8] This decision, along with the earlier decision to merge, was appealed to the Vatican by parishioners.[9] While the appeals were still pending, the property was contracted for sale for $11.8M by the Diocese to Robert Saffayeh Development in 2024.[10] Removal of religious items from the church began on May 28, 2024.[11] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission had considered designating the church as a landmark but ultimately declined to do so.[12]
Building
editThe 2010 edition of the AIA Guide to New York City neglects to mention an architect, describing the Gothic Revival church as "a classy, spired neo-Gothic exterior, but the treat is within: ascent the stairs to view a just heavenly groin-vaulted ceiling painted in the colors of Ravenna's mosaics."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b 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. 478. ISBN 978-0-19-538386-7.
- ^ a b c d "Our History", StElizabethofHungaryNYC.org, retrieved February 7, 2011
- ^ Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.325.
- ^ M (July 21, 1901). "Centres of Civilization; On the Lower East Side of New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Otterman, Sharon (November 2, 2014). "Heartache for New York's Catholics as Church Closings Are Announced". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ "List of Merging Churches and Those That Will Cease Regular Services". The New York Times. November 2, 2014. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Mishkin, Mike (April 24, 2024). "Developer Purchases East 83rd Street Church". East Side Feed. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Dolan, Timothy Michael (June 30, 2017) "Decree on the Relegation of the Church of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary in the Parish of Saint Monica-Saint Elizabeth of Hungary-Saint Stephen of Hungary, New York" Office of the Cardinal, Archdiocese of New York
- ^ Feuerherd, Peter (September 23, 2015). "Opponents challenge parish closings, mergers in NY archdiocese". National Catholic Reporter.
- ^ Hughes, C. J. (April 23, 2024). "Brooklyn developer in contract to buy historic Yorkville church site for $12M". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Schram, Lauren Elkies; Harris, Chris (June 15, 2024). "Hellish NYC church demolition breaks noise rules, works overnight without permit". New York Post. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
- ^ Zimmer, Amy (July 26, 2017). "A Dozen Church Properties Deconsecrated by Archdiocese for Potential Sale". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017.