Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope : : Architecture

Old First Reformed Church_Chandelier_Brooklyn New York
1 The Great Chandelier
Photo courtesy Lois Wingerson

2 Architect's rendering ca 1888
Click image for larger picture

On examining the architect's drawing above, one notes a smaller, pitched-roof building to the rear, which is attached to the main; it was the original chapel built in 1886.

This chapel was expected to accommodate the congregation for some years, but the rapid growth of the neighborhood was reflected in increasing membership for Old First, and plans to complete the main sanctuary were pushed forward. The church as it stands today at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street, was dedicated on September 27, 1891, just three years after the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.

According to the American Architect and and Building News, the building cost $225,000. (April 29, 1893, p 75)

Shown within the Brooklyn Eagle reprint at left is the sanctuary at the time of its dedication

Details

Reardos_Old FIrst Reformed Church_Brooklyn
2 Gilded reardos panels with Ten Commandments text; carved images of the four Evangelists stand above

Reformed Church | Park Slope, Brooklyn

from photograph taken January 1, 2008 by Dean Connor Jr.

George L. Morse, Architect
Dedicated in 1891

The imposing Neo-Gothic structure of Old First stands like a cathedral in a mediaeval city. The building is accented by beautiful stained glass windows; its foundation is granite, the facade and spire are Indiana limestone. The architect, George L. Morse, also gave Brooklyn the massive Temple Bar Building (Court and Joralemon Streets) and the graceful Franklin Trust (Montague and Clinton Streets). We believe he imagined the space first and then designed around it. The sanctuary has a central plan like a dome instead of the linear plan of many churches. It is essentially a Greek (square) cross with an extra bay added for the balcony at the rear, and seats over a thousand persons. Old First's congregation numbered two hundred in 1891 but they thought big, creating enough space to seat their hoped-for Easter crowd, which has been estimated at 1,200. The steeple, at 212 feet, is the tallest live-stone steeple in Brooklyn and has no interior structure of wood or steel.

Interior Design: the Sanctuary

The interior decoration is considered one of the finest examples of Arts and Crafts design in the United States. The vaulted ceiling is coffered with detailed flocked stenciling. The painted wall is further decorated with border stenciling and gold fleur de lis. Seating was designed and built to follow the flow of the interior shape. Shown below is the grand chandelier hung from the center of the sanctuary; the chandelier is lit by both electric and non-working gas fixtures. Though most of the electric lights work now, many do not and because of its age, it will undergo a full electrical restoration early next year.

top photograph © jane barber design
above photograph courtesy Gilly Youner: see more of her images on Flickr

Reprinted from our Self-Guided Tour, 2008: Take a seat in the center of the sanctuary, underneath the great chandelier. Imagine the sanctuary, before the accumulation of soot and the aging of the paint, when the surfaces gleamed, the gold accents glittered, and the windows admitted twice the light.

From the Brooklyn Eagle, Monday, September 28, 1891: There stands today…a splendid church…being excelled by none in architectural beauty and in completeness of design… Its tall gray spire of granite [limestone] points skyward… It is a poem embodied in stone. The aesthetic sense is gratified at every turn. Within the edifice the sense becomes rapture. From entrance to chancel, from gallery to choir, from floor to roof, wherever the eye may turn, are designs which challenge minute study and careful analysis, no one space or corner of the great structure is there which has not been put to some artistic use. Sifting down upon the pews the daylight comes through the beautiful windows, broken into the prismatic colors of the rainbow… In all things the eye is pleased with loveliness, the mind is soothed with harmony, and the soul is put in tune with the sacred ceremonies of the place.

upper stenciling and water damage Old First

Above, one can see the intricate stenciling which covers the upper reaches of the sanctuary and continues with borders on the lower level. Images below show the coffered ceiling with its green and gold multi-layer stenciling.
ceiling Old First

The Chancel

The sanctuary is built for hearing more than sight because Dutch Reformed worship emphasizes the Word of God. The custom-built pews are arranged as an auditorium. The chancel is a preaching platform rather than an altar. Today, Holy Communion is celebrated from the Table seen on the floor in front of the pulpit. Behind the chancel is a Reredos with a hand-lettered inscription of the Ten Commandments. Above these are figures of the Four Evangelists — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We are reminded that Reformed theology emphasizes the harmony of Law and Gospel and the unity of the Old and New Testaments. Above the chancel is the painting of The Empty Tomb by Virgilio Tojetti. For more details about the art and artist, see Our Gifts: Art.

Restoration of the Interior

Old First has just initiated a vast project to restore the ceiling — thus we have begun from the top down. Read more.

Short term projects have been undertaken over several summers by visiting teen groups under the auspices of the Reformed Church, who have cleaned and painted in the sanctuary as well as various construction projects in other parts of the building.

Architecture
Interior Design
Organ and Grand Piano
Tojetti Mural
Stained Glass Windows
Tour the Windows

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© All photographs and images are copyrighted and require permission from artist to download or use. Photographs are by Jane Barber unless otherwise noted.
Drawings are in the collection of Old First Reformed Church or in public domain unless otherwise noted.

Written content edited from many sources previously produced by the Church and by Rev. Daniel Meeter.
New material was developed by Julie Rutherford in 2010. Thanks to Pat Caldwell for her help.