Building of the Day: 33 Seventh Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Grace United Methodist Church, originally Grace Methodist Episcopal Church
Address: 33 Seventh Avenue
Cross Streets: Corner of St. John’s Place
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Year Built: 1882
Architectural Style: Victorian Gothic
Architect: Parfitt Brothers
Other buildings by architect: nearby St. Augustine’s RC Church, Montague, Grosvenor & Berkeley Apts in Brooklyn Hts, Truslow House in CHN, many, many other buildings in Brooklyn
Landmarked: Yes, part of Park Slope HD (1973)

The story: This is one of my favorite Brooklyn churches, designed by the Parfitt Brothers, one of the best architectural firms of the day. All three Parfitt brothers were educated in England before immigrating to the United States, so it comes as no surprise that they designed some of the best English-style Victorian buildings in Brooklyn. This church could easily be sitting in a small hyphenated town alongside a river with its handsome vicarage beside it. But here it is in Brooklyn, on a busy mixed commercial and residential street.

The Parfitts could design anything, and they were exceptionally good at churches. This church and nearby St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, on 6th Avenue, are both theirs, and quite different in style, materials and intent. They were built 15 years apart, and are both exceptional buildings. This church is built of sandstone and brownstone, with terra-cotta trim. The front of the church faces 7th Avenue, and has a large stained glass window that takes up most of that facade.

The entrance is tucked into the right hand corner, in the bell tower, which originally had a tall octagonal spire. It broke off in a severe hurricane that struck New York City in 1944. The damaged spire was never repaired or replaced, but the design is not impaired in the least, as the tower is still substantial and well -designed enough to stand alone. For me, the best part of the church is the long nave, stretching back along St. Johns Place. Here the Parfitt’s got very English, channeling the Arts and Crafts Movement of William Morris and his cronies.

The mixture of Moorish and Gothic elements here is just delightful. Varicolored bands of stone, terra-cotta used in myriad ways, and lots of great stained glass and ornamental stone are used quite well. The windows are divided by paired buttresses that frame the arched windows. Set amongst them are round Gothic style stained glass windows, in a field of terra-cotta tiles. Carved Gothic/Medieval busts pop out from columns that have ornate foliate capitals. Stars of David motifs, Gothic trefoils and other details abound. One gets the feeling that the Parfitts had a great deal of fun with this building. Inside, the atmosphere is much more sedate, as traditional Methodist austerity is observed here, while outside, detail rules.

The 600 seat church and the adjoining Sunday school were dedicated on January 21, 1883. The parsonage, which is right next door, was built in 1887, also designed by the Parfitts. In 1940, the name of the church was changed to Grace Methodist Church, and in 1969, changed again to the present name of Grace United Methodist Church. The entire complex was included in the landmark district of Park Slope HD in 1973. In 1960, two planes collided over Park Slope, and the United Airlines plane crashed a block away, killing everyone on board, as well as six people on the ground. Grace Church was one of the many local churches to open its doors to rescue workers and neighborhood aid groups, and was a rescue center for the Red Cross during that horrible event. GMAP