Saint Thomas Church
New York: St. Thomas Church, 1965. First edition. Octavo, original paper boards (9 1/4 inches tall) over red cloth spine. Laid-in is a contemporary parish bulletin, detailing the parish activities under the Rev. John Andrew. Very minor blemishes to original boards, including a faint trace of a removed sticker to the upper corner. About-fine. Item #867
"AN UNENDING WITNESS TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN ALMOST THE CENTER OF THE CITY, BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH AND EAST AND WEST"
First edition detailing the history of the parish and churches of St. Thomas Church—located today in the heart of Manhattan.
Distinguished on the exterior by its 15-story Tower and renowned for its glorious Reredos, the current structure is actually the fourth St. Thomas Church. After the third church was destroyed by fire in 1905, the present church—designed under the influence of the French Gothic style by Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue—was finally consecrated in April 1916. Cram and Grosvenor were guided by the medieval spirit of ecclesiastical architecture summarized by the prefatory epigraph: "Beauty of whatever kind in any church is put there to the glory of God and not to the admiration of the passersby" (Ralph Adams Cram). The text—preceded by a Chronological History (1823-1963) and a List of Rectors—is illustrated throughout with a frontispiece sketch and numerous black-and-white photographs. Consists of: Background of St. Thomas Church, The New Building, The Sculpture of the Exterior, The Narthex, The Nave, The Chancel, The Chapel of the Resurrection, The Organ, The Chantry, The Parish House, Appendix: All Saints School, The Choir School of St. Thomas Church. Two diagrams: 1). The Figures of the Facade and 2). The Figures of the Reredos (with corresponding numbered keys) are bound after the appendix. Accompanied by two copies of the concluding Keys, with both diagrams accompanied by a marvelous architectural plan of the facade. A splendid copy.
Price: $75.00