Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-10-24
PARSONAGE ONCE:
CHURCH GALLERY
Old New York EtIiice Solves
Economy Problem.
Bible SlLENCED OBJECToaS.

ain My Fathers House Are Many
Ar artments," Quoted Pastor. and
Congregation Abandoned Criticism
Eight Room Flat Only Inconvenience
to Butchers Boy, Who Has to Climb.
In Greenwich village. the quainteSt
section of New York city. there is a
little red brick church. Upon the
broad stone steps of the church is
generally Il group of children with
their playthtnGs. Not infreQunntly,
just inside the doors of the church. Is
another pile of toys. roller Skates and
perhaps cushions for use upon the
stone steps.
Occasionally grocer's boy or
butchers boy approaches the steps Of
the church. but he does not pass by.
Instead he enters the front doors and
ascends by stairway to the east that
usually in churches leads to the gal
lery.
And then the secret is out The
home of the children and of their
parents as we'll is in the chur h. To
the Rev. Ezra Z. Sanford. pastor of
the North Baptist church, belongs the
credit for this solution of one of the
problems Of the downtown churches
whose finances are necessarily re-
stricted by the movement of popula-
ton from the old residence districts.
Converted Gallery Into Home.
Pastor Sanford surveyed the large
gallery Of the church auditorium prop
er and decided it was too much to eX-
pect in a downtown church that it
would ever be filed by the congrega-
ton. SO he cut the gallery in two and
moved the rear wall forward eighteen
feet. This gave him Il space running
for seventy-tive feet across the front of
the church and eighteen feet deep. In
this he built an eight room apartment.
where he now lives with his wife,
three children and two young relatives
of Mrs. Sanford.
81 think | have china closet that
is unique among the china closets Of
women" said Mrs. Sanford. when |
cannot go to church and | am lonely
so into the dining room and hear my
husband preaching through the china
closet, and that is company for me-
On the level of the gallery in the
Sanford apartment are kitchen, bath.
dining room, two large bedrooms and
two living rooms. \ stairway leads 10
the former attic of the church ana the
bell tower. In the attic Pastor san
ln, "a
for his son. now Il sophomore in Cor
nell, and one for his daughter Ruth.
One drawback which Mrs. Sanford,
who is practical housekeeper, finds
with her church apartment is that,
unlike her neighbors on the opposite
side of the street. she has no dumb
waiter. Grocers and butchers must
tramp through the main door of the
church and up the two flights of gal
lery stairs with her supplies.
"When wanted TO have this apart
ment built" said Mr.. Sanford. there
was considerable opposition in the
church. They seemed to think it was
beneath the dignity Of Il church to
have living rooms fer its pastor in it,
CIOtsG =. 81 lS @ = ~|IS.
But quoted to them the words OF
Jesus when he fed the multitude ON
the loavos and fishes, Gather up the
Fragments: let nothing be lost And
l pointed out to them that here in the
midst of downtown New York was a
church that needed conservation If it
were to endure.
But some of them were still OBJ
durate. Then | showed them a new
reading for IN Old text,
"'In my Fathers house are many
apartments,' | said to them, Thej
Thought / was sorii'n@ and said lhat
Jesus hadn't meant 10 i"id fHtS I'D "
church. ans etd t'a' J
temple at JaTse"
little alar
ralrie ard