The Churches of New York LVIII: In Old Manhattanville II

Church of the Annunciation

88 Convent Avenue and West 131^st Street

We already have traced the history of the neighborhood known as Manhattanville in our account of the originally German parish of St. Joseph. The first Catholic church in the area, however, was Annunciation parish, founded in 1852. Its original territory was everything west of 8^th Avenue and north of 100^th Street. Annunciation’s first church was a modest brick structure at Broadway and 131^st Street.

By 1900 the former country town of Manhattanville was booming and the original church was decidedly out of date. It was the golden age of the Archdiocese – when seemingly anything was possible. The parish, under the leadership of one of the seemingly innumerable dynamic pastors of that era, determined to build a grandiose new church at a new location: 131^st and Convent Avenue. Begun in 1905, it was finished in 1907. In contrast to the contemptuous attitude of today, the leave-taking from their old church was an elaborate two-day affair for this parish, involving Solemn High Masses at both the old and new churches.1)

The Gothic church of the Annunciation still is an impressive sight.2) Coming from the south on Morningside and Convent, one passes apartment houses fortified with metal doors and a neighborhood guardhouse – but was the Upper West Side far to the south of Columbia U. that much different 30 years ago? It’s clear from the distinctive situation of this church that we are in an entirely different world than that of the older parts of the city with their rigid pattern of streets. The church presides dramatically over on an elevated corner of the street, its facade facing the corner diagonally. It’s a flattering location that shows off the grand east window to best effect! Only some of the older churches in far downtown New York – like Grace Church – enjoy such a fine site.

Inside, you realize this is one of the grander Catholic parish churches of New York. Annunciation has a fully articulated sanctuary/apse and transept. Its architecture, with its elaborate wooden ceiling and huge window, also reminds one of the contemporary (at that time, Anglican) church of the Immaculate Conception. And in dramatic contrast to St. Joseph, most of the sanctuary and furnishings are intact – there was no conciliar clean-sweep here.

Indeed, the interior of Annunciation recalls for the visitor a number of other churches. The churches in this far northern reaches of Manhattan Island are artistically much more of a mixed bag than their sisters to the south. Elements of genius alternate with completely ordinary work. So it is with the decoration of Annunciation. The stained glass is not of the first order – but the magnificent east window is uniquely impressive. Fine statues and metalwork are displayed throughout the church – including a fine rood and world-class holy water fonts and poor boxes. There is an art deco communion rail and pulpit – very similar to an example in Holy Innocents but more complete and in infinitely better condition here. On the other hand, just as in old St. Agnes, a reproduction of Da Vinci’s Last Supper is affixed to the rear wall of the sanctuary. This parish must have been very proud of this, since there is a large plaque commemorating the donors of the painting – almost all of them Irish. Finally, like almost every older Catholic church, Annunciation has one unique treasure: here, an elaborately painted organ loft with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.

(above) Holy water font and poor boxes.

(Above and below) Part of the art deco communion rail and pulpit.

(Above and below). The great East window.

(Above) Other large windows have a unique floral design.

As we have noted in the case of the church of St. Joseph,  Manhattanville declined and virtually disappeared as a separate neighborhood as the decades went on.  The grand parish of Annunciation fell into obscurity.  In 1977 the parish was taken over by the Piarist order. The parish school apparently closed in 2013. The congregation today appears to be overwhelmingly “Hispanic.”

(Above and below) Painted scenes from the organ loft.

As is usual, the main Spanish – language mass seems overwhelmingly influenced in its music and ceremony (to use the term loosely) by evangelical Protestantism. We cannot deny, however, the enthusiasm of the congregation at this well attended service. And we can only admire the condition of this church, preserved in extraordinarily good repair by a parish that is assuredly not one of the wealthiest in the Archdiocese!

The website of the parish.

1) The Catholic Church in the United States of America, Vol. 3 at 314 (Catholic Editing Company, New York 1914). The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation_Church_New_York)claims that the windows and other furnishings came from the old church. While that may be true of individual items (like the baptismal font?), the overwhelming bulk of the windows and furnishings were created for the new church, as the above article and their style indicate.

2) It is claimed that Annunciation’s “stripped down Gothicism” is “proto-modernist.” Dunlap, David W., From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan’s Houses of Worship at 13 (Columbia University Press, New York 2004)