New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-23
THE MIGRATION or CHURCHES.

The destruction of the old Brick Church which has
stood for a century in Bsekman street near the Park
the late sale and abandonment Of the Broadway Tab
ernacle for business purposes; the btery Thought but
unsuccessful struggle to the old John-stIeet
Methodist Episcopal Church, the cradle of hethodsm
in America to an uptown site; the Dissertation of
eral church edhces in the lower part of the cityal
these events form an apparent triumph of the World
over the Church whose details we proceed to lay be-
fore our readers:
Twenty-Five years ago that portion of New-York ly-
ing below Canal and Catherine streets and embracing
the lower sx wards of the city, the seat of church
power and inhuence-now it is becoming church.de-
serted district Then it responded with noble gener
osty to the many calls for aid for missionary purposes
and its munifcent donations sustained struggling mis-
sons in other fields of gospel labor, and strengthened
many feeble churches in city and country-but now
is fast becoming missionary ground, and seeking in
turn relief from the rich congregation, in the upper
wards Of the city, This district the theater of
fashionable display during church hours the Sab
BATH has become transformations; and the field is now
in the possession Of the plain citizen, for whom the
fashionable neighbOrhoods have attractions and of
the unpretendng stranger who prefers the plain down
town hotel, where he has invariably sojourned when
i'll the city for many years past to the gttering pre-
tentious uptown institutions which seem to require
the same social climate and soil for their prosperous
existence as do the fashionable churches.
The cause this migration of churches is of course
the removal the members of their congregations TO
the upper wards Property becoming valuable down
town for commercial purposes whole streets OF sub
stantia and splendid dwellings have been torn down
for tile erection of stores. The occupants of those
dwellings having sought residences up town, their
churches have been compelled to follow them. For
instance twcthrds of the congregation aud sup
porters of the Broadway Tabernacle have for several
years resided between Blocker and Thirteenth
streets. The congregation Of the Old Brick Church
principally reside above Blocker street The weather.
and more influential members of the old John street
Church have their dwellings up town, and this was
the cause of the attempt to remove that church. The
congregation that formerly worshiped in Trinity
Church have erected Trinity Chapel in the upper
part of the city, for their own use; and Trinity,
St. Pauls and st. Georges Churches have become
Mission churches, and the resort for
religious worship of strangers and to great extent,
of the humber classes in the lower wards.
The congregations of the downtown churches
large usually at the morning services, bat there has
been great decrease of interest in Sunday-SchoOls,
prayer-meetings and ectures In 1895 there 81
churches in New-York, of which IS, including the
most influential in the lower six wards. Thirty
years have elapsed and there 800 churches in
the city, and only seventeen churches, four missions
and two floating bethes in these lower wards.
We give below the and localities of the
churches which stood in this district in 1928. The
mention of many of them, long since taken down or
converted to other purposes will, we dare say, awaken
pleasant memories in the minds of msny who
- al L,,, ,b.a -
parts of the country and of the world:
Abyssiuiu. Baptist (coored) No a Anthony street
African, Methodist, No. l56 Church street.
African Episco2s Collect street now Centre street,
Associate Church, No: 81 Nassau street.
A,sociute Reformed Church, No $50 Pesh street.
Fi iPt' BAPTIST Tt.t' Church No q Gold stree.
BAPTIST Church, Oliver street, corner of Henry
Baptist Church in Provost street NOV franklin near Chapel
street (now West Broadway
Chri,t Church, German Lutheran, Of William and
Christ Church, Catholic Ann street, near William.
Christ Church Episcopal Anthony street Broadway
South Dutch Reformed Church, Garden street now ES
North Dutch Reformed Church Of William and Fultoa
Dutch Church franklin street
First Presbyterian Church Broadway Wal street
Presb,tesn Church Proves. street lnow franklin 'ree'
Frrnd.' nesps. House Ro.e street Pearl stfsct
Friends, Meeting House Liberty near GIeenwss .tTes,
Methodist Epi'copsi. John street, near Nassau street
Middle Dutch Church Nassau Cedar and Liberty
Presbyterian Church Beetrnan street between Nassau sweet
Presby,eIian Church vsndew.ter street.
Presbytenan Church Cedar street, Wilfm street.
FIt Presbyterian Church Wall street near Broadway.
Presbyterian Church corner Of Lssht and Ssrc. streets
Reformed Second Presbyterian Church Chambers street. GEAR
sss ss F:.Sy,:Is9 Nc No g S Sss., street
Scotch Presbyterian Church. Pearl street Broadway
St Paup' Chapel Episcopal Broa@"sy between Fulton anu
81. Johns Chapel Episcopal, vsrick street:
St George Chapel Episcopal corner OF BeeknsH sud Cd
St. Philip. Church. in Collect street JaOw Center .tset)
Zion's Church Episcopal OF Mott and Cross
Friends MeetiD g-house in Liberty street.
Baptist Church. Nassau street between Fulton and
Morsvian Church. Fulton, near Dutch street.
Nsriners' Church Roosevelt street.
st. Peters Church of Barclay and Church streets
New Jerusalem Church lswsdenbOsian Pearl street be-
Fist Congregational Church Unitarian Chamber, street
tween Broadway and Church street
number of new church edices have been erected
in this district since 1885, and other places of worship
fitted up; but, after comparatively brief existence,
they have vanished at the approach of business and
their sites now occupied for worldly purposes.
When the South Dutch Church. which stood in
Garden street, Exchange place, destroyed in
the great fire Of 1885, portion Of the congregation
moved to the vicinity of Washington square.
The remainder of them erected the Reformed Dutch
Church at the corner Of Church and Murray streets.
In 1856, the Presbyterian Church was built at the
corner of Church and Duane streets, in which the
Rev. DR.. Potts ociated from 1886 until 1874 1t
taken down four years ago to make for the cree
ton Of stores.
The First Free Presbyterian Church. erected at the
corner Of Dey and Washington streets, in 1884, was
abandoned in 1888, and that congregation united with
the congregation at the Broadway Tabernacle.
The Chaham-street Chapel Free Presbyterian So
ciety fitted up an old theater at No. so Chatham