page_title: Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Emmanuel Episcopal Church (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Emmanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, North &amp; Allegheny Streets, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Listed as a National Historic Landmark.
context_page_description: Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, is an active parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. It is known for offering a Sunday evening service of Jazz Vespers. Its 1886 church building is known for its architectural features and was one of the last designs by Henry Hobson Richardson. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2000.
  Though brick was selected for reasons of economy, the brickwork is one of the church's most striking features. Unlike most of Richardson's buildings, Emmanuel Episcopal's wall surfaces have fairly plain surfaces. They do not have a rough surface, moldings, belt courses or other projections to break up the planes or produce shadow lines, though the bricks do project from the main wall surface just below the eave line in two steps of different dimension to give a pleasing string course effect. Stone is used only as sills for the windows, and springing from the three entrance arches and where the foundation is exposed.
  This simplicity is relieved, in part, by patterning the brickwork. Of particular note, the repetitive triangular pattern at the roofline is called “mousetooth.” The brick patterning gives the impression of finely woven fabric.
context_section_description: In 1867 Emmanuel Episcopal Church began as a mission fulfilling the need for a Sunday school for the children of English workmen. 
  At first it met in homes and then in rented rooms. Membership grew to 76 people in 1868 when they received a church charter. The next year they built a frame church.
  By 1875 the area became fashionable and the frame church became too small. The building committee was formed in 1882 with Postmaster Malcolm Hay as chairman. The land for the new church was purchased for $750 in 1883. H. H. Richardson was selected as the architect at the same time he was designing Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail in January, 1884. The church was dedicated in March, 1886.
  Over the next 20 years the neighborhood became much less fashionable, larger mansions were torn down, and new houses were built for the working class. Due to the financial straits of the congregation, the church was not renovated for many years.
  Designed by Richardson, the church was erected in 1884–1886 and built by Henry Shenk. The original plans were for a stone building of about the same size as the present church, but with central-tower theme, similar to the Trinity Church in Boston. The cost estimate of $25,000 was too high, and the congregation rejected the plans. The new budget was $12,000 and plans for the smaller brick church were approved.
caption: Interior
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