Old Dutch Church (Kingston, New York)

First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston
Church spire and south elevation, 2008
Religion
AffiliationReformed Church in America
LeadershipThe Rev. Kenneth L. Walsh[1]
Year consecrated1852
Location
LocationKingston, NY, USA
Geographic coordinates41°55′58″N 74°01′08″W / 41.93278°N 74.01889°W / 41.93278; -74.01889
Architecture
Architect(s)Minard Lafever
StyleRenaissance Revival
General contractorHallenbeck & Brink
Groundbreaking1851[2]
Completed1852
Construction cost$33,000[2]
Specifications
Direction of façadesouth
Length117 feet (36 m)[2]
Width66 feet (20 m)[2]
Height (max)50 feet (15 m)[2]
Spire(s)1
Spire height225 feet (69 m)[2]
MaterialsBluestone, wood
U.S. National Historic Landmark
NRHP Reference no.08001089
Designated as NHLOctober 6, 2008[3]
Website
Old Dutch Church

The Old Dutch Church, officially known as the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston, is located on Wall Street in Kingston, New York, United States. Formally organized in 1659, it is one of the oldest continuously existing congregations in the country. Its current building, the fifth, is an 1852 structure by Minard Lafever that was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2008,[4][5] the only one in the city. The church's 225-foot (69 m) steeple, a replacement for a taller but similar original that collapsed, makes it the tallest building in Kingston and a symbol of the city.

Lafever's building was described by Calvert Vaux as "ideally perfect". It is unique among his work as his only Renaissance Revival church that largely retains the original design, and the only stone church he is known to have built. Its interior includes stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany's company, and an extensive M.P. Moller pipe organ After a few early renovations, and the collapse of the higher original steeple, it has remained largely intact since 1892, although there have been continuing issues with one of the walls. One of the congregation's previous churches is across neighboring Wall Street. The church grounds also include a small cemetery with most of the burials predating its construction. Among them is George Clinton, a former governor and U.S. vice president.

The church has been active in Kingston's civic life. During the Revolutionary War George Washington paid a visit due to the church's strong support for the Patriot cause, and wrote a thank-you note exhibited in the church today. An annual dinner is held to commemorate the visit. George H. Sharpe raised a Civil War regiment at the church, and later erected a monument in the churchyard to those volunteers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and members of the Dutch royal family, among other notables, have visited the church. It has also been the site of memorials to tragedy from the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 to the September 11 attacks in 2001.

  1. ^ "Old Dutch Church staff". Old Dutch Church. 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f William E. Krattinger and James A. Jacobs (May 2006). National Historic Landmark Nomination: First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston / Dutch Reformed Church; Old Dutch Church (PDF). National Park Service.
  3. ^ "First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston". National Park Service. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Paul Kirby (October 11, 2008). "Kingston's Old Dutch Church gets national landmark status". Daily Freeman. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
  5. ^ "Interior Designates 16 New National Historic Landmarks". D.O.I. News Release. U.S. Department of the Interior. October 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 20, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.