St. Mark’s Church In-The-Bowery
Location: East Village, New York, NY
Landmark Status: NYC Individual Landmark, National Historic Landmark
Original Architects: John Mccomb, Jr. (Church, 1799), Ithiel Town & Martin E. Thompson (Steeple, 1828; Perimeter Fence, 1838), John C. Tucker (Parish Hall, 1835), James Bogardus (Portico, 1858), James Renwick, Jr. (Parish Hall Extension, 1861)
Date of Construction: 1799-1861
Date of Restoration: 2012-2017
Scope of Work: Restoration Of Cast Iron Portico, Installation Of Permanent Accessible Ramp At Main Entrance
St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery is New York City’s second-oldest church building and oldest site of continuous Christian worship. Since its original construction in 1799, several additions were made in the prevailing styles of the day: the main body of the church belongs to the late Georgian tradition, the portico to the Italianate, and the steeple to the Greek Revival. Each part is arranged to form the singular harmonious building recognized today as a landmark both locally and nationally.
The portico is one of the earliest examples of cast iron use in buildings in New York City, and is a self-supporting structure. Earlier repairs to the portico roof eventually failed, contributing to water infiltration at the ceiling and damage of cast iron elements under the gutters.
The portico floor consisted of loose laid bluestone flags and granite curbs that had chipped, broken, and displaced over time. The church floor, which is approximately four feet above sidewalk level, was not made accessible at its time of construction. St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery developed a scheme for a ramp that would take its parishioners from the center gate, to the main entrance, and into the sanctuary – providing equal access to all its parishioners.
Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC was engaged by the Church in 2012 to oversee restoration of the portico and installation of the new, permanent accessible ramp to replace the existing temporary ramps. Work included surveying and documenting existing conditions to facilitate the design.
The design took into consideration the historic materials and surroundings. As such, existing granite curbs and paving stones were salvaged and reused and the existing iron wrought iron fence east of the portico was relocated. New construction was specified to match the existing materials. The final result being a new barrier-free environment in keeping with the original context.
The project was completed in September 2017, and blessed with great ceremony in December 2017.
