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EPHESUS SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH
101 West 123rd St, New York, NY
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EXTERIOR RESTORATION & CONSERVATION
This Victorian Gothic Church, a landmark within the Mount Morris Historic District, built in 1885-87 by John Rochester Thomas was ravaged by a fire in 1969, gutting the interior, destroying the roof and truncating the spire. Initial rebuilding allowed the Church to reopen in 1978, but funds did not allow for the restoration of the exterior, the stained glass windows or even door replacement, which were plain hollow metal substitutes. After an Exterior Architectural Assessment of existing conditions, PACA designed a multi-phase restoration.
Phase I: For the exterior, the heavily-soiled sandstone was cleaned. Although costly, the congregation believed this undertaking was vital for effective future maintenance, and as a manifestation of their pride in their mission and place in the Harlem community.
Phase II: Conservation and repair of the stained-glass and removal of protective but rusting and obscuring metal screens and plexiglass.
Phase III: New design elements including redesign of the steeple and finials, replication of non-historic components including new wood entrance doors, and the introduction of new security and exterior lighting.
With the dramatic installation of the new 37-ft. spire, this traditionally beloved and distantly visible landmark in Harlem was restored. Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church is a vivid testimony that preservation is often a slow, careful and costly process, but one of enduring, uplifting legacy for the entire community.
This project received a 2007 Lucy Moses Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
Before restoration, 2002
After restoration, 2008
Restored rose window, interior view
Restored rose window from exterior
Exterior facade; cleaned and repointed sandstone
Cleaned and restored stone capital, detail
Location
Manhattan, New York
Client
Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church
Completion
2007