Two historic Greenwich Village churches—the Village Presbyterian Church and the Washington Square Methodist Church—have seen their pews turned into pantries, their altars altered and their choirs silenced. From the worship of God to the worship of mammon, both houses of worship are now divided into condominiums.
We will consider each edifice in a two-part series. This month, we focus on the Village Presbyterian Church. This imposing building, located at 143 West 13th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, stands amidst 19th-century townhouses; the century-old City & Country School, a private pre-k through eighth grade school; and the Markle Evangeline Residence for women. Because the building is within the Greenwich Village Historic District, the exterior could not be changed. Thus there is little hint from the street that Portico House—as it is now known—houses 15 condominiums units. The entrances to the residences are placed discreetly along the sidewalls.
Established in 1846 as the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church, the Village Presbyterian Church came about as the result of the merging of three congregations. First, in 1910, the Fourteenth Street Presbyterian Church merged with its neighbor one block away; and was renamed Greenwich Presbyterian. Another merger came in 1956; this time the Chelsea Presbyterian Church combined with the Greenwich Presbyterian to form what was called the Village Presbyterian Church.
The church, built in the Greek Revival style, resembles the Theseum at Athens, Greece. It was built in 1846; but twofires, one in 1855 and the other in 1902, almost destroyed the building. Seeing this massive façade amongst traditional New York townhouses of the same era is startling. The strong white columns dwarf all else around them. The church’s columns and pediment look as if they are stone; but they are made of wood; the walls are made of brick and stucco. The building is attributed to Samuel Thompson, a builder and an architect. Thompson was also responsible for some of the structures at Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island, dating from 1839 to 1841; as well as Wall Street’s Federal Hall National Memorial, constructed between 1834 and 1842. Because both projects are two of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country, it is quite possible that Thompson was the designer and builder of the Village Presbyterian Church.
During the 1884 presidential election between Republican James Blaine and Democrat Grover Cleveland, Blaine attended a meeting of New York preachers at this church building. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Burchard thundered, “We are Republicans, and don’t propose to leave our party and identify yourselves with the party whose antecedents have been rum, Romanism, and rebellion.” Little did he know that an undercover Democrat was in the audience, and would latch ontothe anti-Catholic remark. He made certain it was widely and repeatedly publicized. The Roman Catholic view of Blaine quickly turned sour; this resulted in his losing New York State; and because of that loss, the presidency slipped away by a narrow margin.
Church membership had declined so dramatically by1975 that the church disbanded. A developer purchased the church with plans to convert it into luxury condominiums. Despite much public outcry, the developer won approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to carry out his plans. “Adaptive reuse” is the term that is applied to what the architectural firm of Stephen B. Jacobs did when it transformed the building into 15 condominium units. The Portico House project was carried out under the Landmarks Review Process; the conversion was completed in 1982. The New York City Landmarks Commission awarded it a Certificate of Merit in 1991. Many original interior and exterior details have been left intact; and many units occupy multiple levels. Two- and three-bedroom condos have sold for between $1.5 million and $3 million.
Discover more about The Village, its history and art, when you take the author’s Greenwich Village Walking Tour. Go to http://www.walkaboutny.com to book your tour!
Correction: The printed version of this article incorrectly stated the site of the church. It has been corrected to reflect the church is between 6th and 7th Avenues.
