Riverside Church

Overlooking the Hudson River near Harlem, Riverside Church is an American slice of Medieval France.  Modeled after a 13th Century Cathedral in Chartres, the Basilique Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Riverside Church is a National Historic Site.  Built in 1930 by J.D. Rockefeller, the church is a pastiche of architectural styles.  The tower is Gothic and so is the nave which incorporates two balconies under its soaring arches, seating 2000 altogether.  The walls are inlaid with stained-glass windows and a labyrinth, adapted from one at Chartres, is painted on the chancel floor.  The chapel is Romanesque -think smaller arches, lower ceiling, and boasts an intricately carved baptism pool.

Physically the building is an amalgam of the two continents as well.  Limestone for the walls was quarried in Indiana, while many of the stained-glass windows are from Belgium.  Two beautiful rectangular stained-glass windows in the Nathrex depicting scenes from the life of Christ are 450 years old, allegedly the oldest in any American Church, and are sourced to Flanders.

Perhaps the church's hybridism explains its liberal philosophy.  Interdenominational, Riverside has been a stage for political debate and activism through out the years.  Martin Luther King voiced his opposition to the Vietnam War there, and other notable speakers include Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Fidel Castro, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor instrumental in the Christian opposition to the Third Reich.  More recently, the church was active in the Occupy Wall Street movement and donated 100 tents to occupiers and provided shelter to protesters evicted from Zucotti Park.  At the time of visiting Mayor DeBlasio spoke about reforming Pre-K education. 

Mayor Bill DeBlasio speaking.

Also a site for theater and the arts, the church has hosted dance performances, documentary showings, and the NY Family Arts Festivals, an interactive event with arts and crafts, and performances.  

Visiting:

Riverside Church is open to the public and offers free tours on Sunday after mass at noon.  Tours can be reserved during the week for a $10 fee.  

A small cafe on the premises serves coffee, soups and snacks.  For more variety head south along Broadway for tons of cafes, bars and restaurants, including chains like McDonald's.


More information:
http://www.theriversidechurchny.org/


Sights in the Vicinity:

North of Riverside along the Hudson is Grant's Tomb, burial place of Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States, and his wife Julia Dent.  Northeast, in Harlem, the area around Malcolm X Boulevard and 125th Street is home to rows of lovely brick buildings and many beautiful small churches.  
South of Riverside Church, along Broadway, are Columbia University and Barnard College.