photograph by Jim Henderson
When the Harlem Presbyterian Church was organized on February 22, 1844, the district was bucolic, its landscape dotted with farms and summer estates. A quarter of a century later, as its second building neared completion in February 1872, the New York Daily Herald described the congregation saying they, "though not numerous, are zealous and determined."
At the turn of the century, Harlem had been transformed. Former farms and country estates were dissected by streets and avenues, and handsome brick and brownstone rowhouses lined the side streets. On March 2, 1905, The Evening Post reported, "By a unanimous vote the congregation of the Harlem Presbyterian Church, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street...last night decided to sell its present property and remove to One Hundred and Twenty-second Street and Mount Morris Park West."
On July 1, 1905, the Record & Guide reported that the congregation had hired T. H. Poole & Co. to design the structure, "to cost about $100,000." (The figure would translate to about $3.5 million in 2025.) The commission was a bit unusual for the 45-year-old British-born architect. Thomas H. Poole was well-known for his ecclesiastical buildings, but this would be one of the few he designed for a non-Roman Catholic congregation.
Poole had previously married historical styles, as in his 1887 Church of St. Catherine of Genoa at 504 West 153rd Street, which blended elements of the Venetian Gothic and Flemish Renaissance Revival styles. His design for the Harlem Presbyterian Church went further. His eclectic Romanesque design was highly inspired by Moorish precedents, like the alternating colors of the brick-and-stone voussoirs and the overall appearance of a monumental Islamic gate. Poole's design would have been startling enough had he stopped at that. But he capped the structure with a copper-clad neo-Classical dome that could have been plucked from Rome.
photograph by Jim Henderson
On October 1, 1905, The Sun reported, "The cornerstone of the Harlem Presbyterian Church...was laid yesterday afternoon in the presence of about 500 of the congregation and their friends." The structure was dedicated the following year.
The Harlem Presbyterian Church soon formed an innovative and inclusive group--a club that welcomed men "of all religions." On May 9, 1908, The New York Times reported on an upcoming series of "four Sunday evening meetings on popular subjects interesting to men." Among the topics would be Senator Alfred R. Page's talk, "Who Governs the State of New York, the People or the Race-track Gamblers?" and Reverend Robert F. Y. Pierce's "illustrated address...on his recent experiences of life among the lowly."
A bronze rondel on the side facade depicts Noah's Ark surrounded by the church's name. photo by Jim Henderson
The Harlem Presbyterian Church sat within an affluent neighborhood and weddings here were upscale affairs--the attendees alighting from their carriages in their finest silks and velvets. On April 18, 1911, Frank McAllister and Irene Cunningham were married here. The minister, Rev. John Lyon Caughey, "arranged a dramatic touch by having the lights low during the ceremony, the sexton being ordered to turn them on full as he pronounced the couple man and wife."
Caughey's sense of the theatrical created an opportunity for a passing thief. In the dim light of the sanctuary, he stole the overcoat and the silk top hat of the best man, John Knoeczny. In reporting the incident, the Utica [New York] Daily Press editorialized, "Any man who would break in on a wedding party after that fashion should be sent up for life."
On May 23, 1915, The Sun reported, "The Harlem Presbyterian church at 122d street and Mount Morris avenue, and the New York Presbyterian Church, at 127th street and Seventh avenue, are permitted to consolidate." The article mentioned, "The churches are two of the oldest uptown congregations, the Harlem church being incorporated in 1844 and the New York church in 1835." The blended congregations, which became the Harlem-New York Presbyterian Church, remained in the Mount Morris Park West building.
The blended congregation celebrated its centennial on October 4, 1931. Members might have expected Rev. Dr. Andrew Richards to wax nostalgic in his sermon. Instead, while folks often yearn for "the good old days," he said, "The probability is if we had one of those good old days with us again we would long for the return of the 'bad new times' again."
At the time of Rev. Richards's musing, the demographics of Harlem had greatly changed. Eleven years later, Richards's replacement, Rev. Ralph W. Key, explained, "the rapidly changing neighborhood...made the problem of sustaining the membership, attendance and finances increasingly difficult." The condition resulted in the request to merge with the Rutgers Presbyterian Church, as reported by The New York Times on February 10, 1942. The congregation moved downtown and the article said, "The church in Harlem will be turned over to the church extension committee of the presbytery."
The building would not sit vacant for long. That year, the Presbytery of New York proposed a black Presbyterian congregation. Organized by Rev. Arthur Eugene Adair, the Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church opened here in 1943.
Rev. Adair was assisted by his wife, Dr. Thelma Davison Adair in the congregation's outreach within the neighborhood. The church's Community Life Center, which provided day-care, was opened in 1944. Dr. Adair organized a Head Start branch, which assisted with early learning, in 1965.
Maintaining the large structure became a problem. The arched, stained glass windows of Thomas H. Poole's Vatican-like dome leaked. In fear that they would "cave in on worshipers," according to The New York Times, they were removed. A church elder, Olivia Williams, reminisced wistfully to The New York Times's Douglas Martin on August 11, 1996, "You should have seen it when it had stained-glass windows."
At the turn of the century, space within the building was leased to the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The congregation brought a little of Ghana to Harlem--one member, Kwasi Ohene, setting up shop outside before services. On April 18, 2004, The New York Times remarked, "Spread on the sidewalk were rows of fat yams from Ghana, tins of Africa Queen-brand mackerel and red palm oil for cooking. He fully [i.e., Ohene] expected to sell out."
photograph by Jim Henderson
The Mount Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church faced challenges. On May 25, 2010, The New York Times reported, "leaders are struggling to fill the pews and the church's many programs and services." Nevertheless, it and its remarkable Thomas H. Poole building--one of the most unique in New York City--continue to survive.
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