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Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church

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Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church Stained Glass Window
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Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church Stained Glass Window

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  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church <br><br> Saint Joseph’s Church Yorkville is a Catholic church on 87th Street near 6th Avenue in Manhattan. The church was started in the 1800s to serve the growing German population in the area on the Upper East Side known as Yorkville. Between 1820 and 1880 thousands of German and Irish immigrants arrived in New York City to escape civil unrest, persecution, and repeated failure of the potato crop, according to <a href="http://www.stjosephsyorkville.org/about/ "> the Saint Joseph website. </a> Many of the Germans settled in a section of New York east of the Bowery extending from Houston Street to 12th Street, what became known as Little Germany. At one church, Fathers tended to 10,000 German Catholics who came to Mass every Sunday. To respond to the needs, the priests built an orphan asylum uptown in Yorkville where the open fields, woodlands, and clean air provided a proper environment for orphan children. The parish church had its beginnings at the chapel of Saint Joseph’s Asylum, located on 89th Street and York Avenue. <br><br> After the Civil War, many German families sought more pleasant neighborhoods and many moved to Yorkville, which was located between 59th and 96 Streets on what is now the Upper East Side. The growing numbers overwhelmed the primary church at the time, Saint Lawrence O’Toole (now Saint Ignatius Loyola). As a result, a delegation went to the Jesuit Fathers at Saint Lawrence to request a German-speaking priest to start their own parish. This request was approved and in 1874, the first Saint Joseph’s Church was dedicated. For the next 20 years, the church was the center for German and Irish families in Yorkville. A school was opened in 1880 to accommodate 500 children. <br><br> Saint Joseph’s was known as the uptown church for German-speaking Catholics as many moved to the area to have their children attend the school. To accommodate the growing church members, plans were made for a new church on East 87th Street. In 1895, the present church was dedicated. The church was designed by William Schickel & Company and included a Müller & Abel organ. Schickel’s firm designed Saint Ignatius Loyola church on Park Avenue and 86th Street. <br><br> Eighty years ago, there were 12 German Catholic churches in Manhattan, 9 in Brooklyn, 5 in the Bronx, and one each in Queens and on Staten Island. Today, only St. Matthias in Ridgewood, Queens still offers a weekly Mass in German due to the declining German population. At Saint Joseph’s, one Mass is celebrated in German each month, according to a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/nyregion/19german.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 ">New York Times article.</a> The article focused on the changing demographics of the area in light of German-born Pope Benedict’s visit to the church in 2008. It also mentions that after World War II, Mayor Robert F. Wagner and other mayors worshiped at Saint Joseph’s.
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church <br><br> This photo was taken from the balcony where the grand organ is located. Director of Music Alistair Reid was rehearsing, noticed me photographing, and invited me up. I captured this photo along with the close-up of the organ while enjoying the beautiful music (Bach I think). <br><br> Saint Joseph’s Church Yorkville is a Catholic church on 87th Street near 6th Avenue in Manhattan. The church was started in the 1800s to serve the growing German population in the area on the Upper East Side known as Yorkville. Between 1820 and 1880 thousands of German and Irish immigrants arrived in New York City to escape civil unrest, persecution, and repeated failure of the potato crop, according to <a href="http://www.stjosephsyorkville.org/about/ "> the Saint Joseph website. </a> Many of the Germans settled in a section of New York east of the Bowery extending from Houston Street to 12th Street, what became known as Little Germany. At one church, Fathers tended to 10,000 German Catholics who came to Mass every Sunday. To respond to the needs, the priests built an orphan asylum uptown in Yorkville where the open fields, woodlands, and clean air provided a proper environment for orphan children. The parish church had its beginnings at the chapel of Saint Joseph’s Asylum, located on 89th Street and York Avenue. <br><br> After the Civil War, many German families sought more pleasant neighborhoods and many moved to Yorkville, which was located between 59th and 96 Streets on what is now the Upper East Side. The growing numbers overwhelmed the primary church at the time, Saint Lawrence O’Toole (now Saint Ignatius Loyola). As a result, a delegation went to the Jesuit Fathers at Saint Lawrence to request a German-speaking priest to start their own parish. This request was approved and in 1874, the first Saint Joseph’s Church was dedicated. For the next 20 years, the church was the center for German and Irish families in Yorkville. A school was opened in 1880 to accommodate 500 children. <br><br> Saint Joseph’s was known as the uptown church for German-speaking Catholics as many moved to the area to have their children attend the school. To accommodate the growing church members, plans were made for a new church on East 87th Street. In 1895, the present church was dedicated. The church was designed by William Schickel & Company and included a Müller & Abel organ. Schickel’s firm designed Saint Ignatius Loyola church on Park Avenue and 86th Street. <br><br> Eighty years ago, there were 12 German Catholic churches in Manhattan, 9 in Brooklyn, 5 in the Bronx, and one each in Queens and on Staten Island. Today, only St. Matthias in Ridgewood, Queens still offers a weekly Mass in German due to the declining German population. At Saint Joseph’s, one Mass is celebrated in German each month, according to a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/19/nyregion/19german.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 ">New York Times article.</a> The article focused on the changing demographics of the area in light of German-born Pope Benedict’s visit to the church in 2008. It also mentions that after World War II, Mayor Robert F. Wagner and other mayors worshiped at Saint Joseph’s.
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Müller & Able Organ <br><br> It must be odd to play a musical instrument that is well over 100 times larger than you. Here Alistair Reid, Director of Music at Saint Joseph’s, plays the grand Müller & Able organ. He is a concert organist, pianist, conductor, and teacher, and has played concerts on many of the great organs of the world including Notre Dame de Paris, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, the National Cathedral in Washington, Harvard University Memorial Church, and Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue. <a href="http://alistairreid.org/">His website </a> has more information about his work including music clips from his concerts. <br><br> Müller & Able built the organ in 1895 and was installed upon completion of the present building. “The conception of the windchest mechanism of St. Joseph’s organ was entirely original with Müller & Abel, and was designed to allow more wind to gently enter the pipes. This unique feature, together with the unenclosed Great division—which was atypical of the period—produces a full, resonant sound, similar to a large cathedral organ. <br><br> The organ at St. Joseph’s survives essentially intact, although the original console was replaced in the 1960s. While the console was updated with solid-state equipment, all of the original pipework and electro-pneumatic chests remain as they were over a hundred years ago. The instrument, which has been exceptionally well-maintained throughout its history, was rebuilt in 1994 by John Randolph and in 2004 by Meloni & Farrier,” according to <a href="http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/StJosephRCYorkville.html">NYCAGO.</a> <br><br> “Oscar Müller and George Abel, both German immigrants, were employed in the Roosevelt Organ Works of New York, Philadelphia and Boston, the preeminent organ builders from 1870 through 1893. When the Roosevelt firm ceased operations, Müller and Abel established their own factory in New York City, building sixty-two organs between 1893 and 1902.”
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Müller & Able Organ <br><br> Müller & Able built the organ in 1895 and was installed upon completion of the present building. “The conception of the windchest mechanism of St. Joseph’s organ was entirely original with Müller & Abel, and was designed to allow more wind to gently enter the pipes. This unique feature, together with the unenclosed Great division—which was atypical of the period—produces a full, resonant sound, similar to a large cathedral organ. <br><br> The organ at St. Joseph’s survives essentially intact, although the original console was replaced in the 1960s. While the console was updated with solid-state equipment, all of the original pipework and electro-pneumatic chests remain as they were over a hundred years ago. The instrument, which has been exceptionally well-maintained throughout its history, was rebuilt in 1994 by John Randolph and in 2004 by Meloni & Farrier,” according to <a href="http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/StJosephRCYorkville.html">NYCAGO.</a> <br><br> “Oscar Müller and George Abel, both German immigrants, were employed in the Roosevelt Organ Works of New York, Philadelphia and Boston, the preeminent organ builders from 1870 through 1893. When the Roosevelt firm ceased operations, Müller and Abel established their own factory in New York City, building sixty-two organs between 1893 and 1902.”
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church <br><br> William Schickel (1850-1907) designed the church. He was a German–born American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars. He emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 20. In 1885 he formed William Schickel & Company in association with Isaac Ditmars (1850-1934). Ditmars continued the firm following Schickel’s death. His most celebrated work is Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue and 86th Street. His firm had long-standing ties to leading German-American families and the Roman Catholic Church, principally building churches and complexes in German-American neighborhoods. See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._William_Schickel">Wikipedia </a> for more detail.
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church Tympanum <br><br> William Schickel (1850-1907) designed the church. He was a German–born American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars. He emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 20. In 1885 he formed William Schickel & Company in association with Isaac Ditmars (1850-1934). Ditmars continued the firm following Schickel’s death. His most celebrated work is Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue and 86th Street. His firm had long-standing ties to leading German-American families and the Roman Catholic Church, principally building churches and complexes in German-American neighborhoods. See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._William_Schickel">Wikipedia </a> for more detail.
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church <br><br> William Schickel (1850-1907) designed the church. He was a German–born American architect and founder of the New York architectural firm of Schickel & Ditmars. He emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 20. In 1885 he formed William Schickel & Company in association with Isaac Ditmars (1850-1934). Ditmars continued the firm following Schickel’s death. His most celebrated work is Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park Avenue and 86th Street. His firm had long-standing ties to leading German-American families and the Roman Catholic Church, principally building churches and complexes in German-American neighborhoods. See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._William_Schickel">Wikipedia </a> for more detail.
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church Stained Glass Window
  • Saint Joseph's Yorkville Catholic Church
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