New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-12-05
OLD ST. .TORN'S.

A painful impression has been produced by
the announcement that one of the most be
loved. most beautiful and historically most
precious church edfces in this city is in danger
of being abandoned and demolished. There are
still many who remember st. Johns Park and
the singuarly attractive residence region which
surrounded it. and to whom st Johns Chapel
is imrneasurab bly, more than n negligible name"
There are many Others of younger genera
ton. who have taken sufficient interest in the
city TO become acquainted with that gem Of
ecclesiastical architecture. and 10 whose senses
It has been a source Of delightful relief from
the commercial ugliness with which It is largely
surrounded. To all such it would he per
sonaI loss and real affection to have that build
ing destroyed.
Time was. too, when st. Johns was one of the
most useful church buildings In the city. It IS
said that It is no longer useful though upon that
point there is by no means general agreement
If that were indisputably true however. We
should not consider it convincing reason for
the destruction of the building. which is ono
Of the very few-half q dozen or so-remain-
ing architectural landmarks Of old New York
and is of the two Or three most beautiful.
in the opinion Of many the most beautiful. OF
them all. Surely it should he possible to pre-
serve it simply for its own sake. even If it were
no longer valuable from purely unitarian
point of view. But We should say. beyond that
that if it were not now useful it ought To he
and could he made useful. There Is a suffi-
Gent churchless population around it TO crowd
its pews ten times over. and It ought 10 be
worth while to try to gather them in.
In neghboring rural village not long go a
church actually abandoned and closed. and
the ecclesia stcal organization which owned It
decided to make its abandonment permanent
and 10 sell the property for secular uses But
the man 10 whom they tried TO sell It rev0ltcd
against the plan. and insisted that instead the
church should be reopened. The authorities
were skeptical. but permitted the experiment.
Tie church reopened. repaired and gen
orally rehabilitated. and was quickly thr0ngpd
with a congregation eager to attend the ser
vices and to give it ample material support It
seems reasonab bic to believe that through suit
able efforts similar work could be done Al
ST. Johns. IF not, and if the attractive and be
loved old church should be demolished and thus
an irreparahle loss be inflicted upon the com
munity. 1t is pretty safe to predict that in a few
years somebody would discover that there was
need of a religious establishment in that very
locality, and building trim and snug in
pressed brick and concrete. and q ugly as St
Johns is beautiful. would he erected there
We sincerely trust that II will be reckonpd
wiser 10 keep the old church and even If the
corporation which now owns It is unable 10
see Its way clear to maintaining st Johns
as one of the chapels Of Trinity parish-though
we should hope that they would do sO-thpre
ought 10 be sufficient public spirit in this city
sufficient regard for historic landmarks. sur
fcent love for the beautiful I'm art and archi-
lecture. and sufficient sentiment of reverence
for venerable shrine. 10 arrange IN some wav
for the perpetual preservation Of a building
the destruction of which would he not only. as
we have said. an irrepara BILE loss hut also re
proach TO this community