National Register of Historic Places

St. Thomas Church and Parish House

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
April 8, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80002722

About this property

Saint Thomas Church is an Episcopal parish church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York at 53rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Also known as Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue or Saint Thomas Church in the City of New York, the parish was incorporated on January 9, 1824. The current structure, the congregation's fourth church, was designed by the architects Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in the French High Gothic Revival style and completed in 1914. The church reported 2,753 members in 2015 and 2,875 members in 2023; no membership statistics were reported in 2024 parochial reports. Plate and pledge income reported for the congregation in 2024 was $2,435,735 with average Sunday attendance (ASA) of 478 persons. In 2020, following a gift from the family trust of the late John and Mary Alyce Merrow, a camera system with a dozen 360-degree-rotating cameras was installed. Online attendance has remained significant; during Advent and Christmas, 2022, on-line participation was 38,000 with an average attendance of 25 minutes. The church is home to the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, a choral ensemble comprising men and boys which performs music of the Anglican tradition at worship services and offers a full concert series during the course of the year. The men of the Saint Thomas Choir are professional singers and the boys are students enrolled at the Saint Thomas Choir School, the only church-affiliated residential choir school in the United States, where the choristers make up the whole student body. Only three such schools remain in the world currently; the two Anglican Choir Schools are Saint Thomas Choir School and Westminster Abbey Choir School in the United Kingdom.

Location

1--3 W. 53rd St.
New York, New York County, New York
40.76084, -73.97622

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about St. Thomas Church and Parish House

This page lists St. Thomas Church and Parish House. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your St. Thomas Church and Parish House report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

University Club
Industrial
0 mi
Women's National Republican Club
Industrial
0.1 mi
Residences at 5-15 West 54th Street
Listed
0.1 mi
Moore, William H., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Houses at 647, 651-53 Fifth Avenue and 4 East 52nd Street
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
1.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. Thomas Church and Parish House listed on the National Register?

St. Thomas Church and Parish House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 8, 1980.

What type of historic resource is St. Thomas Church and Parish House?

St. Thomas Church and Parish House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for St. Thomas Church and Parish House?

The period of significance for St. Thomas Church and Parish House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near St. Thomas Church and Parish House?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near St. Thomas Church and Parish House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in New York County

Historic places, battles, and census history across New York County.

Explore New YorkCounty ›

More historic places in New York

Browse all historic places in New York.

View New Yorkhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

New York history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

New Yorkhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near St. Thomas Church and Parish House will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report