Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue
A 1913 masterwork of architectural firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, Saint Thomas Church (Also known as Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue) is a major example of the Late Gothic Revival. Replacing an impressive design by Richard Upjohn and his son that was lost to fire, the current church is built of self-supporting stone and has no steel support or skeleton – its ribs and buttresses are load-bearing. Designed primarily by Ralph Adams Cram, Saint Thomas’ bold massing holds up well against its newer, taller neighbors while the refined detailing is drawn chiefly from French antecedents.
The sonorous interior features a reredos co-designed by architect Bertrand Grosvenor Goodhue and artist Lee Lawrie, the latter responsible for the famous ‘Atlas’ at Rockefeller Centers’s International Building. The stained glass windows were designed by master English artisan James Humphries Hogan and the pipe organ, currently undergoing restoration, boasts 9,050 pipes.
Cram and Goodhue, both separately and together, designed numerous other major churches in New York City and elsewhere, including Cram’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the largest Gothic style church in the world, and Goodhue’s Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, which incorporates an entrance by McKim, Mead & White.
Despite being called Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, the official address of the building is 1-3 West 52rd Street.
The church is a designated New York City Landmark.