St. James Episcopal Church (Batavia, New York)

St. James Episcopal Church
South elevation of bell tower, 2009
Religion
Affiliation	Episcopal Church
Leadership	The Rev. Bonnie F. Morris
Year consecrated	1908
Location
Location	Batavia, NY, USA
Geographic coordinates	42°59′49″N 78°10′32″W / 42.99694°N 78.17556°W / 42.99694; -78.17556
Architecture
Architect(s)	Robert North[1]
Style	Neo-Gothic
Completed	1908
Specifications
Direction of façade	South
Materials	Stone
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP	September 24, 2004
NRHP Reference no.	04001062[2]
Website
St. James Episcopal Church

St. James Episcopal Church is located on East Main Street (New York State Route 5) in Batavia, New York, United States. It is a stone Neo-Gothic structure built in the early 20th century.

It was the first of 65 similar churches, most also in Western New York, designed by Robert North, a former choirboy at the church. His design was informed by a trip he made to England, paid for by the dying widow who also underwrote the church's construction and wanted a design inspired by "the quiet spirit of the English countryside". North also followed contemporary architects like Ralph Adams Cram in their desire to extend the Gothic style beyond its medieval models, and made early use of newer building materials like reinforced concrete and cast stone.

It is the third building to house the church, which dates to the early years of Batavia's settlement a century before the church's construction. In 2004 the church building, its rectory and a stone wall were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Around the same time it faced a scandal surrounding the dismissal of its pastor, and the costs of maintaining an aging building raised doubts as to whether the church could continue using it. Fundraising efforts have enabled the church to restore its bell tower.