Location: Fifth Avenue and West 53rd Street, Manhattan, New York City
Landmark Status: NYC Individual Landmark, National Register of Historic Places
Original Architect: Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson
Date of Construction: 1911-1914
Date of Restoration: 2007-2009 Phase I, 2015-2016 Phase II
Scope of Work: Stone Survey, Stone Repair, Restoration and Cleaning, Stained Glass Window Restoration, Scrim Design
Awards: Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award (New York Landmarks Conservancy), Stanford White Historic Preservation Award (Institute of Classical Architecture and Art)
St. Thomas Church was designed in the French Gothic Style by distinguished architects Ferguson, Cram & Goodhue in 1906 and constructed in 1911-14. Situated on Fifth Avenue at West 53rd Street, it makes dramatic use of its corner location with cathedral proportions, asymmetrical towers, rich limestone ornament, and striking stained glass windows. All but two of the stained glass windows were designed by the great English stained glass artist James Humphries Hogan of Powell & Sons (Whitefriars). The windows of St. Thomas Church are considered by many to be Hogan’s finest designs.
In 2007, Walter B. Melvin Architects, LLC was retained when restoration of the stained glass began in earnest. WBMA surveyed the exterior and interior conditions of the limestone window tracery, specified the restoration, and oversaw the execution of the work. Repairs included stone dutchmen, patching with restoration mortar, crack repairs, resetting of loose stone, repointing of deteriorated mortar joints, and cleaning. WBMA consulted on issues related to the setting of the stained glass, the water-tightness of the windows, and the removal of the 1980’s protective glazing. WBMA also designed vinyl scrims with images of the stained glass to enclose the interior scaffolding around the window openings. These translucent replacements for the missing windows allowed the church to function normally during construction. Work was completed in 2016.
In 2015-16, WBMA consulted on the exterior cleaning of the church, which utilized a low-pressure water and chemical system to restore the color of the original limestone.
As a stained glass conservator told the New York Times in 2008, “It is a great privilege to be working on this [church]. It may be labor-intensive, but it is a labor of love.”
