BOTD: Historical Chapel in Green-Wood Cemetery
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy. Address: Green-Wood Cemetery Name: The Historic Chapel at Green-Wood Neighborhood: Greenwood Heights/Sunset Park Architectural Style: Neo-Gothic Architects: Warren &…
Chapel at Green-Wood Cemetery. Photo by Suzanne Spellen
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy.
Address: Green-Wood Cemetery
Name: The Historic Chapel at Green-Wood
Neighborhood: Greenwood Heights/Sunset Park
Architectural Style: Neo-Gothic
Architects: Warren & Wetmore
Landmarked: Entire Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places
I love this chapel. It is a beautiful building, inside and out. Coming up upon it, and seeing it in its full glory, while walking in Green-Wood is always a pleasant surprise.
The chapel, built in 1911, is a relatively late comer to the cemetery, which was established in 1838. Warren and Wetmore are major architects of the Beaux-Arts period, and in New York City are responsible for the designs of Grand Central Station, their masterpiece, as well as the Helmsley Building, smaller works such as Steinway Hall on 57th St, the NY Yacht Club, and the Yale Club.
They were extremely well-connected, as the main designer, Whitney Warren, was a Vanderbilt cousin. Since Green-Wood was New York City’s most prestigious cemetery, THE place to be seen, even dead, it is not too surprising that they would be chosen to build the chapel.
Because it was meant to be multifunctional and non-denominational, the interior is a spare, but Gothic limestone space which serves to highlight the magnificent stained glass windows and the beautiful dome, further illuminated by a massive chandelier.
The design is a reduced copy of Christopher Wren’s Thomas Tower at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, England, which was built in 1681, and has been an inspiration to architects for centuries.
Between the 1980’s and 2000, the chapel was closed for lack of use. It was also in need of repair. Funds were raised, and the chapel was restored in 2001. Today is now available for lectures, concerts, weddings, special functions, and of course, memorial services, funerals and interment ceremonies.
Sorry for the jumbled grammar btw, I was trying to do two things at once.
I think I misplaced your e-mail. Please post it if you see this! Thanks, Montrose!
Great article, Montrose. I wrote a couple of short articles myself about Green-wood for my blog. Judging from the look of the domes compared to other photos I took an educated guess that the Gothic architecture have a Moorish Revival influence
http://wanderingbrooklyn.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/greenwood-cemetery-and-the-soda-fountain-king/
http://wanderingbrooklyn.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/green-wood-2-getting-high-on-history/
Great post MM!
Bridge and Tunnel has some of the best close-up photos to Greenwood Chapel and other things Brooklyn:
Greenwood Chapel
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/greenwood/chapel/index.htm
Graves, Mausoleums, Plots, Greenwood Cemetery
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/greenwood/gravesites/index.htm
Some others (if you are interested in checking out B&T):
Grand Army Plaza (arch sculpture close-ups)
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/prospectpark/grandarmyplaza/index.htm
Brooklyn Museum (entryway close-ups)
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/prospectpark/institutepark/brooklynmuseum/museum/index.htm
Prospect Park (a variety of interesting details)
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/prospectpark/index.htm
Actually, the entire cemetery is a National Historic Landmark, designated in 2006
Interesting MM, as ever. I like this building as well. Very dignified and fitting for the cemetery.
(Incidentally I the building in Oxford is just called “Tom Tower”. I think your guide might have unnecessarily formalized the name! Although had Wolsey seen Christ Church completed he may have insisted on his full first name being used….)
This is one of the most beautiful buildings in all New York. It was designed to be an aesthetic knockout and it still is. Warren and Wetmore were tops. Personally, I like it better than Wren’s chapel.
The Greenwood Fund sometimes uses the space as a gallery to showcase recent restorations of historic memorials and to exhibit a collection of paintings, owned by the cemetery, by “residents” of Green-wood, some of whom were quite well-known artists.
that place has the most incredible public bathroom in the world- all marble, super clean. i’m serious. check it out!