The Lost North Dutch Church - William and Fulton Streets

Edward Lamson Henry painted this depiction in 1869, probably for the church's centennial.  from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The homestead of John Harpendingh (originally spelled Herbendinck) sat at the corner of Maiden Lane and Broadway.  Harpendingh was "a worthy tanner," as described by The New York Times a century later.  He is remembered today in John Street, originally a lane that ran through his property.  By 1767, his farm had been invaded by streets and buildings.

At the time, the North Dutch Church worshiped in a stone building on Nassau Street.  In 1767, the Consistory of the Reformed Dutch Church resolved that a new edifice "should be erected on the grounds of Mr. John Harpendingh [and] that it should front Horse and Cart lane, and be placed in the middle of the lot."  (Horse and Cart Lane derived its name from a tavern on that street.)  Harpendingh had donated a parcel on his property for the project, and on July 2, 1767 the cornerstone was laid by James Roosevelt.

According to a metal plate discovered under an interior pillar later, construction was executed by "Andrew Breested, Jr. carpenter and protector" and "John Stagg, master mason, and Alex Bates."  The men drew inspiration from Georgian-style churches in London, specifically those designed by James Gibbs.  The openings of the fieldstone walls were framed by quoins--known as Gibbs surrounds.  The four-tiered steeple included a square pedestal, a four-sided clock tower, an octagonal belfry, and a lantern from which a copper weather vane in the form of a cock sprouted.  

from the collection of the New York Public Library

The building would sit at the northwest corner of Horse and Cart Lane (later William Street) and Fair Street (later Fulton Street).  The churchyard at the northern side of the church abutted Ann Street.  Construction was completed in March 1769 at a cost of £12,000.  (The amount would translate to nearly $4 million in 2026.)  The first service was held on May 25.  A century later, The New York Times remarked, "The building was looked upon in those days as one of singular beauty and grandeur, and was pointed at with pleasure and pride as one of the wonders of Manhattan Island."

Inside were ten fluted columns, each contributed by a wealthy congregant.  Architect Samuel A. Warner described them in 1852 as being "all finely carved and finished, and on their friezes rendered conspicuous by gilding the initials of the generous contributors."  The mahogany pulpit was "a wonderful piece of Dutch carving imported from the Netherlands," recalled The New York Times in 1872.  Above the pulpit was the coat of arms of the Harpendingh family.  The ceiling was barrel-vaulted, and the pews, with their paneled doors, were "finished with mahogany railings and scrolls," according to Warner.

When the British Army occupied Manhattan during the Revolutionary War, churches were sorely abused.  The North Dutch Church was converted to a prison, holding around 1,000 captives.  The New York Times recounted in 1872: 

When the English arrived the piers were torn down, the pulpit was sent to London as a free-will offering, and a floor was laid from gallery to gallery, forming an upper story.  The wood of the piers was sold at public auction for fuel.

The British evacuated Manhattan in November 1783.   The New York Times said, "When the English retired, the congregation purified their church, restored the piers, tore away the boarding of the upper floor, and recommenced the services of the Lord."  The New York Herald recorded, "in September, 1784, the church having been restored by public subscription, was formally reopened by a sermon from the Rev. Dr. [John H.] Livingston." 

from the collection of the New York Public Library

By mid-century, the former semi-rural neighborhood was a bustling commercial district.  In 1852, a Day Prayer Meeting was initiated, held every Wednesday at noon.  A pamphlet titled "The Noon Prayer Meeting of the North Church" explained, "This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers and business men generally, an opportunity to stop and call upon God amid the daily perplexities incident to their respective avocations."

Midcentury tastes in decor had greatly strayed from the North Dutch Church's simple 18th century design.  While congregants were at their country homes in the summer of 1856, the interior of the church was renovated.  On August 31, The New-York Dispatch reported, "The venerable edifice on the corner of Fulton and William streets, known as the North Dutch Church, has recently been thoroughly overhauled, repaired and painted, and will be thrown open as a free church this day."  Noting that it was "one of the oldest of our church edifices," the article noted, "although, about ninety years old, [it] exhibits no signs of decay, and is at present one of the strongest buildings of its kind in the city."

The first threat to the North Dutch Church came in 1866.  On January 21, The New York Times reported, "the Consistory of the Collegiate Reformed Dutch Church of this city have decided to pull down the church building at the corner of Fulton and William streets, and lease the ground for business purposes."  The backlash was immediate.  The following day, a letter from the congregants to the Consistory was reproduced in the newspaper.  It said in part,

We, the undersigned, lay members of the North Dutch Church, having been for some time past silent, but by no means disinterested spectators of the course pursued by your body, with regard to that church, feel that a crisis has now arrived, in which to be longer silent would subject us to the charge, if not openly by others, at least by our own consciences, of a criminal remissness and neglect of duty.

The long letter did not hold back in its condemnation of the Consistory.  And the groundswell worked.  The organization tabled its plans to lease the ground and demolish the structure.

Early on the morning of October 27, 1869, a fire broke out in a commercial building at 116 Fulton Street.  A strong breeze quickly spread the blaze to neighboring structures.  The New York Herald reported, "the volume of sparks emitted from the burning pile set fire to the steeple of the North Dutch church."  With Victorian prose, the article said, "soon the whole tower, with flames of fire, wild and terrible, a fearful but brilliant sight, fell to the ground."  

Harper's Weekly, November 13, 1869 (copyright expired)

If there were a positive note in the catastrophe, it was that the flaming steeple crashed away from the building rather than collapsing onto it.  The New York Herald said it fell to the side, "breaking and bending the iron railings and gateway surrounding the church."  The damage caused by "the demon of fire" was estimated at $2,000, or about $47,500 today.

The destruction of the tower may have supplied the Consistory the excuse it needed.  On February 26, 1872, The New York Times reported, "The old North Dutch Church...will shortly be among the things of the past.  A twenty years' lease of the ground on which it stands will be sold at auction to-morrow."  The journalist opined, "the removal of the old church would be a cause of deep regret to very many people."  But the Consistory was foiled in its plan.  It had placed a reserve of $16,000 on the annual rental and there were no bidders.  Nevertheless, the organization was resolute.  The New York Times said, "The Consistory will hope to dispose of the lease by private treaty."

Finally, it got its way.  In June 1875, the Consistory leased "a spacious and commodious apartment," as described by a representative, in an adjoining commercial building "where public worship is maintained."  The organization had sold the land lease and the demolition of the venerable church was announced.

As the landmark was razed, some architectural elements were salvaged.  On June 22, 1875, for instance, The New York Times remarked on items purchased by Rutgers College.  "Considerable excitement is anticipated over the arrival of some objects of historic interest from the old North Dutch Church of New-York."  Among them was the weather vane.  "The ancient cock which so long acted as weather-vane for the old church has been regilded and is to be mounted upon the cupola of the college," said the article.

image via showcase.com

The replacement building was demolished in 1939 for the Art Moderne-style, seven-story 111 Fulton Street, designed by Cross & Cross.  In 2007 additional stories were added in a conversion to residential use by architect Karl Fisher.