Church of the Ascension, 36-38 Fifth Avenue
Standing at 36 – 38 Fifth Avenue, the Church of the Ascension is one of the great Gothic Revival designs of Richard Upjohn, best known for the slightly earlier Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street. Constructed in 1840 – 1841, Ascension is simpler than Upjohn’s Wall Street masterpiece, in keeping with what was then a semi-suburban setting, but still deploys a comprehensive vocabulary of Gothic motifs.
In 1885, Stanford White was hired to redo the interiors: the result was what the Landmarks Preservation Commission calls “one of the great collaborative efforts of the era,” incorporating works by numerous master artists of the Gilded Age, including murals and stained glass by John La Farge and reredos by Louis Saint Gaudens, brother of famed sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens. In a city of notable churches this interior is worth a trip in itself. http://ascensionnyc.org
The church is the first of three buildings in a row on the West side of Lower Fifth that feature spires, the other two being 40 Fifth Avenue and the First Presbyterian Church at 48 Fifth. Whether seen from the south or the north, this trio is one of the most delightfully unexpected ensembles in the city.