New-York tribune., 1908-01-29
THE NEW ST. THOMAS'S
TENT T4TITE PLANS DRAIN
Huge and Costly Church to RiOal
Old WorM Cathedrals.

Tentative plans for the ST. Thomas's
church at Fifth avenue and SD street. OF
which the fabric alone will cost upward of
81 S1apaOa0 were made public for the first time
yesterday The old St Thomass destroyed
h- fire on August s. 1905, and since then
the Rev DR. Stires. the rector. and the wardens
sa6 vestrymen of the church have had archi-
tects working plans for edifice.
Nothing less than a revival of Gothic archi-
lecture in America DR.. Stires said in De-
,aInber. 1909 would be satisfactory, and neither
tine nor money has been spared 10 attain this
result.
According to the present plans the future
church viii represent a combination of archf-
fsctural features from both French and Enshsh
cathedrals The architects. Cram. Goodhue q
Ferguson. of Boston and No. 40 Fifth avenue
New York. have been working for almost TWO
years the plans. visit 10 Engiaho anu
France in the summer Of 1906 being dndoe eS
reciailv TO obtain data for St. Thomass
The new church will have seating capacity
of 1852 persons In its outline proper II "iii
consist of q great basilica PA feet long, 40 feet
wide in the clear. and % feet from the pave
,nent 10 the crown of the vault. On the nortn
side there Will be only a narrow archlteCtulai
aisle containing seats On the south sioe'
however. space has been obtained for chapei
lS feet wide and 90 feet high Above this VIII
he a long gallery seating 81 persons. There VIII
also be an end gallery here providing 12s seats
The plans given yesterday. according 10
the architects and vestrymen of St Thomas's.
have not been nositively adopted THE scheme
of worthy church cannot be conceived in a
Gay or = wear saws the circular describing the
plans published by order of the vestry. 1t is
thing which must grow and develop step by
step. and even now the plans presented are Of
fered only as indicating the general arrange
1nenr Of parts and the fundamental masses re-
solved upon. the whole matter of detail being
still undetermined. though gradually taking
shape in the minds of the committee and the
architects Therefore. the accompanying plans
are to be taken simply representing the basic
principles determined upon after perhaps the
most elaborate and minute study ever given TO a
project of similar size in the United States"
John T. Atterbury, of No. Is West 49th street.
is chairman Of the committee on plan and scope
Of the vestry. H. c. Fdhnestock, of No. 457
Madison avenue is member of this commit
tee as is also Dr. Stires oficio. The other
vestrymen of the church Anson r. Flower.
Clarence NJ Hyde. Alexander VI. Hadden.
Charles H. Stout and James T. Woodward
George MacCulloch Miller and James c. Fargo
are the wardens of the church
One Of the special features of the interior of
the church will be the facilities afforded
for innumerable memorials of every kind. Areas
for memorial windows unusual in modern
churches have been planned for, and much of the
richness Of color Of the interior will be OBJ
tained from them. No chancel arch or choir
screen has been indicated In the plans. This.
il is said. viii bring the altar into the most
dominating prominence. and the great height
Of the vault will permit only very noble east
windows but as we'll a splendid reredos of stone
that may equal in its dimensions the greatest
triumph of religious art in England. the famous
reredos of Winchester Cathedral"
Il is affirmed that the building viii be built
up frankly and scientifically, without any struc-
tural subterfuges masked by applied decoration
Of a supposedly Gothic cast. It would be
possible it is said, to build of steel and rein
forced concrete, veneering the scenic exterior.
This would not involve any change in the plans
and would save a large sum.
But such a course" the circular says. would
involve one OF two alternatives-frst, abandon |
ing absolutely Gothic as style. since Gothic Is
above all else honest and scientific construction
made beautiful by perfect proportion. and the |
evolving Of new steel and concrete art; or, |
second, building a structural lie Neither of |
these courses seemed justifiable, and the only |
thing left 10 do vas to provide for a building |
Gothic structuraly as well specifically, |
even though the cost was thus increased.
Although the new church will be double the |
preserve some suggestion Of the old ST. |
Thonas's IN the angle tower.
The only prototype of the long gallery above |
the chapel IS said 10 be in the choir of the |
Cathedral Of lie Mans, where an arcade in two |
stories lies behind the great arcade. II is tfe |
belief Of thu architects that the play of light anc
shade. the clustering of the shafts and the |
crcling Of the arches and vaults will give one of
the most effective compositions TO be found in |
any church not Of cathedral dimensions.
According to the published plans, the church |
Will have, IL IS said. greater width and height /
than eny Cathedral in England The nave was |
wfdened TO the extreme point attainabe that /
the majority Of the congregation might have a |
clear view Of both the altar and the pulpit This /
made necessary the great height of the vault: /
1he columns will Of necessity mask the view OF /
certain number Of seats. OF the lap persons /
ehon i VIII be possible to seat on the first /
foor- e62 will have a perfect view Of altar, /
iectern and pulpit All of them will have
view of two Of these
The work Of construction will not begin on
the church until after Easter of next year