Reformed Church of Bronxville

The Reformed Church of Bronxville is a parish church of the Reformed Church in America, and previously the Dutch Reformed Church, located in Bronxville, New York.

Reformed Church of Bronxville
View from the intersection of Pondfield Road and Midland Avenue
40°56′11.5″N 73°49′56.9″W
Location180 Pondfield Rd,
Bronxville, New York
DenominationReformed Church in America
Previous denominationDutch Reformed Church
Websitewww.reformedchurch.org
History
StatusParish church
Founded1850
Dedicated1926
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Harry Leslie Walker
StyleNorman
Completed1926

History

The Reformed Church of Bronxville was founded in 1850 in its present location, on a two-acre hill[1] above the corner of Midland Avenue and Pondfield Road in the village of Bronxville. The first church building was a smaller, New England-stye, wooden clapboard building, and was dedicated on April 9, 1850. Though the original belfry was constructed simultaneously with the rest of the church, it was not outfitted with bells until money was raised by Sunday school children in 1872.[2]

The church was eventually replaced with the current Norman-style[3] stone and granite structure in 1926, following a vote of the congregation in 1923 to construct a larger church. The architect of the new building was Harry Leslie Walker, a member of the church and the designer of the other institutions constituting the village's "Four Corners:" Bronxville High School in 1924 and the Bronxville Public Library in 1942.[4] Upon its completion, the church was consecrated in 1926. The stained glass windows were designed by the prominent artist Charles Jay Connick.[1]

In the twentieth century, due to increasing membership, the church underwent further expansion. Following a seven-year fundraising campaign, a lot on the corner of Midland and Kraft Avenues was purchased.[1] On this land was added a nursery school, a 40-foot expansion of the chancel to accommodate a larger pipe organ, an usher's parlor adjacent to the narthex, a chapel, a social hall, a glass enclosure of the cloister, and a parking lot in 1955.[2] This complex was dedicated in September 1957.[1] With the disestablishment of the Dutch Reformed Church in 2004, the Reformed Church of Bronxville joined the Reformed Church in America.[5]

References

  1. "About Us: Our History". The Reformed Church of Bronxville. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  2. Semendoff, Josh (September 22, 2011). "Bronxville Then and Now: The Reformed Church of Bronxville". Bronxville Patch. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  3. "Our Towns; Minister Teaches The Almighty Isn't Republican". The New York Times. May 24, 1988. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  4. "About Our Village". Village of Bronxville, New York. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  5. "The Reformed Church of Bronxville Senior Minister". Vanderbloemen Search Group. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
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