Neighbor News
The Church-in-the-Gardens Open House on Sat. 10/19 from 10-2
Open House New York Weekend
This year, The Church-in-the-Gardens located at 50 Ascan Avenue, on the corner of Greenway North, in Forest Hills Gardens, is included as one of the historical sites for Open House New York Weekend!
What is Open House New York Weekend? Every October, Open House New York Weekend unlocks the doors of New York’s most important buildings, offering an extraordinary opportunity to experience the city and meet the people who design, build, and preserve New York. From historical to contemporary, residential to industrial, hundreds of sites across the five boroughs are open to visit, with tours, talks, performances, and other special events taking place over the course of OHNY Weekend. Through the unparalleled access that it enables, OHNY Weekend deepens our understanding of the importance of architecture and urban design to foster a more vibrant civic life, and helps catalyze a citywide conversation about how to build a better New York.
The Church-in-the-Gardens will have open access hours on Saturday, October 19, 2019, from 10 am until 2 pm. Small group tours (30-minutes on the hour, first-come, first serve) will include a sneak peek of the hidden organ and reveal the church's history with Helen Keller, Branch Rickey (Brooklyn Dodgers) and Dale Carnegie.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Church-in-the-Gardens was designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, renowned for collaborating with Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to plan Forest Hills Gardens. Atterbury and John Almay Tompkins designed the church building, dominated by Gothic and Norman influences, with touches of the Romanesque. He also helped hand-select the native fieldstone that constitute the exterior and interior walls. All metal work inside the church was designed and forged in an on-site workshop set up during construction. The church construction began on August 23, 1914 and was completed on October 10, 1915. Select blueprints and sketches will only be on display during OHNY Weekend.
Today, The Church-in-the-Gardens remains a community congregational Christian church with a diverse membership open to all.
Come take a look and sit in the pews -- experience the peace and beauty of The Church-in-the-Gardens. If you are unable to come during the Saturday Open House New York Weekend hours, you are welcome to visit The Church-in-the-Gardens for service on Sundays at 9 am (contemporary service) or 11 am (traditional service).
For further information about the church, please visit www.thecitg.org. For additional information about Open House New York, please visit www.ohny.org.