Church of the Heavenly Rest

History

The church was founded in 1865 (officially established in 1868) by American Civil War veterans, with the assistance of the Reverend Robert Shaw Howland. It was meant as a memorial to soldiers who had died in the Civil War. By 1900, the church had amassed close to 1000 members. The church was originally located on Fifth Avenue and 45th Street before moving to its present site.

Current site

The land for the current site was sold to the church in 1926 by Louise Whitfield Carnegie, Andrew Carnegie's widow. Carnegie purchased the site in 1917 for $1.7 million shortly after a sign was erected reading "for sale without restrictions"; his ownership prevented apartment house development there that would intrude on his mansion's surroundings, but the site remained undeveloped with only a few billboards and a lemonade stand on one of the city's most expensive addresses. Its subsequent sale to the church carried the restrictions that the land could only be used "for a Christian church no higher than 75 feet, exclusive of steeple" through 1975.

The limestone church was designed in the neo-Gothic style by the firm Mayers, Murray & Phillip, successors to Bertram Goodhue. Goodhue died before the first stone was laid. Mayers, Murray & Phillip took over construction. It opened on Easter 1929, seating 1,050, at a cost of $3.2 million. Sculpture was to be executed by Malvina Hoffman, Lee Lawrie, and other artists. The architecture and sculpture combined neo-Gothic styles with Art deco details. However, over two-thirds of the sculptural program was never executed; sculptor Janet Scudder withdrew from a commission in 1928 after it was downsized. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 ended other work, and the blocky limestone facade was retained without sculpture.

Innovative design features included unobstructed views of the altar, indirect lighting and a high-tech sound system. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

Music program

The church has a number of choirs, including boys' and girls', a mixed adult choir, and a bell choir. For its patronal feast, which is All Saints' Day, the hymns "For All the Saints" and "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" are commonly sung.

Notable people

The funeral of Chester A. Arthur, former President of the United States, was held at the church in 1886, and the ashes of the actress Gloria Swanson were interred there in 1983.

Rectors

The following have served as Rectors of the Church of the Heavenly Rest:

• 1865−1887: Rev. Robert Shaw Howland
• 1887−1907: Rev. Parker Morgan
• 1907−1921: Rev. Herbert Shipman
• 1922−1949: Rev. Henry Darlington
• 1950−1961: Rev. John Ellis Large
• 1962−1974: Rev. Burton Thomas
• 1975−1982: Rev. Alanson Bigelow Houghton
• 1983−1995: Rev. Hugh Hildesley
• 1996−2011: Rev. James Lee Burns
• 2013−2023: Rev. Matthew Heyd
• 2024–present: Rev. Katherine Malin

Two of the Rectors, Herbert Shipman and Matthew Heyd, left the Church of the Heavenly Rest to become Bishop of New York.

In popular culture

The church is featured in a scene in the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate starring Keanu Reeves, Charlize Theron and Al Pacino.

References

References

1. "Explore Individual Parochial Report Trends".
2. Gray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003), p. 280.
3. "New York Architecture Images: Church of the Heavenly Rest".
4. "Church of the Heavenly Rest: Our History and Mission".
5. Gray, Christopher. New York Streetscapes: Tales of Manhattan's Significant Buildings and Landmarks. (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2003), p. 282.
6. {{NRHPweekly
7. Reeves, Thomas C.. (1975). "Gentleman Boss". Alfred A. Knopf.
8. Donnelley, Paul. (2003). "Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries". Omnibus.
9. [https://www.heavenlyrest.org/institution-of-the-rev-kate-malin-livestream Church of the Heavenly Rest, Institution of the Rev. Kate Malin, leaflet]. November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
10. "The Devil's Advocate Film Locations".