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St. Stephen of Hungary Church (New York City)

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Coordinates: 40°46′26″N 73°57′02″W / 40.77388°N 73.95058°W / 40.77388; -73.95058
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The Church of St. Stephen of Hungary
(Szent István Római Katolikus Magyar Templom)
Map
General information
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
Town or cityManhattan, New York City
CountryUnited States
Construction started1926 (for church with school plans);[1]
1960 (for rectory plans);[1]
1965 (for rectory plans)[1]
Completed1927?, 1928 (for church)[2]
Cost$240,000 (for 1926 church with school);[1]
$300,000 (for 1960 rectory);[1]
$300,000 (for 1965 rectory)[1]
ClientRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Design and construction
Architect(s)Joseph H. McGuire of 5 Columbus Circle (for 1926 church with school plans--possibly unbuilt);[1]
Emil Szendy (for 1928 church);[2]
Brother Cajetan J. B. Baumann, O.F.M., of 44 Whitehall Street (for 1960 rectory plans);[1]
Joseph Mitchell of 355 West 54 Street (for 1965 rectory plans)[1]
The exterior of St. Stephen of Hungary Church in New York City.

The Church of St. Stephen of Hungary (Hungarian: Szent István Római Katolikus Magyar Templom) is a Roman Catholic church in the Archdiocese of New York, located at 402-412 East 82nd Street, Manhattan, New York City.[3] The former parish of St. Stephen was administered by the Order of Friars Minor from its founding in 1922 until its merger with St. Joseph's in 2015.

History

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The congregation was established in 1902 by Lászlo Perényi, a Catholic priest from Hungary to serve the growing immigrant population from that country in the city. It had no permanent facility until three years later, when it moved into a former Presbyterian church on 14th street. Growth in the parish led to plans to build a new church and school in 1927 in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan, which became a center for several Central European ethnic groups, most notably German and Hungarian.[4]

In November 2014, the Archdiocese announced that St. Stephen of Hungary Parish was one of 31 parishes which would be merged into other parishes.[5] St. Stephen Parish and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish were to be merged into St. Monica Parish at 413 East 79th Street.[6]

A High Mass for the Feast of St. Stephen took place on August 23, 2015, the last major event for the parish. The final Mass was held on August 30.[7] After that, the Hungarian congregation moved to the nearby Church of St. Joseph.

Buildings

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Plans were filed for a three-story brick church and school (both with basement and tile roofs) in 1926 to designs by Joseph H. McGuire of 5 Columbus Circle at a cost of $240,000.[1] According to the AIA Guide to NYC (Fifth Edition, 2010), the Romanesque Revival church was built (or at least completed) in 1928 to the designs of a different architect, Emil Szendy.[2] There are no referenced plans filed with the city for a church designed by Szendy; however, he may have worked for McGuire.

Similarly confusing is the attribution for the rectory. The Rev B. J. Dudley had plans for a four-story friary at 402-412 East 82nd Street designed in 1960 and filed with the city to designs of Brother Cajetan J. B. Baumann, O.F.M., of 44 Whitehall Street, for $300,000. Plans for a three-story friary at 414-416 E 82nd Street were drawn up in 1965 and filed with the city to designs of Joseph Mitchell of 355 West 54 Street for $300,000.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Office for Metropolitan History, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," (Accessed 25 Dec 2010).
  2. ^ a b c White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City. American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (Fifth ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 478. ISBN 978-0-19-538386-7.
  3. ^ Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor, The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.375.
  4. ^ "History of Our Parish", SaintStephenofHungary.org, retrieved 2011-01-28
  5. ^ Otterman, Sharon (November 2, 2014). "Tears and Heartache for New York's Catholics as Cardinal Shuts Churches". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "List of Merging Churches and Those That Will Cease Regular Services". The New York Times. November 2, 2014.
  7. ^ "Letter from Fr. Baker, Pastor, Church of St. Monica on the Closing of St. Stephen of Hungary Church". St. Stephen of Hungary Parish.
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40°46′26″N 73°57′02″W / 40.77388°N 73.95058°W / 40.77388; -73.95058

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