originally Washington Heights Methodist Episcopal Church
1872 Amsterdam Avenue
1869

Built in 1869, this red brick, Gothic Revival style church is one of northern Manhattan’s oldest churches. After an unsuccessful first attempt, a persistent group of five religious leaders established a Methodist congregation in Carmansville in 1867 and constructed their church on land purchased from the Carman estate. Its primary façade consists of two towers flanking a central gable, which contains a stained glass window with ornamental tracery set within a pointed arch. A 1932 newspaper article noted that the church “scarcely has been altered since it was built sixty three years ago,” except for “the remodeling of the main entrance...and the installation of a gallery in the auditorium at the beginning of the century.” The photograph accompanying the article shows a spire on the church’s north tower, which has since been removed. St. Luke’s acquired the church in 1946.