National Register of Historic Places

Union Theological Seminary

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
April 22, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
80002725

About this property

The Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (often shortened to UTS or Union) is a private, ecumenical, liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City. It has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Columbia University lists UTS among its affiliate schools, along with the Columbia-degree conferring Barnard College and Teachers College. Beginning in 1928 and continuing until an indeterminate juncture, UTS "[had] the status of a [Columbia] University faculty in the educational system of the University through representation" on the now-defunct University Council. In 1964, UTS also established an affiliation with the neighboring Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Despite its affiliation with Columbia University, UTS has remained an independent institution with its own administration, degrees and Board of Trustees. UTS confers the following degrees: Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Divinity & Social Work dual degree (MDSW), Master of Arts in religion (MAR), Master of Arts in Social Justice (MASJ), Master of Sacred Theology (STM), Doctor of Ministry (DMin), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). UTS is the oldest independent seminary in the United States and has long been known as a bastion of progressive Christian scholarship, with a number of prominent thinkers among its faculty or alumni. It was founded in 1836 by members of a predecessor to the Presbyterian Church in the USA, but was open to students of all denominations. In 1893, UTS rescinded the right of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church to veto faculty appointments, thus becoming fully independent. In the 20th century, Union became a center of liberal Christianity. It served as the birthplace of the Black theology, womanist theology, and other theological movements. It houses the Burke Library at Union Theological Seminary, one of the largest theological libraries in the Western Hemisphere.

Location

New York, New York County, New York
40.81145, -73.96382

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Milbank, Brinckerhoff, and Fiske Halls
Industrial
0.1 mi
General Grant National Memorial
Industrial
0.1 mi
IRT Broadway Line Viaduct
Industrial
0.2 mi
Pupin Physics Laboratories, Columbia University
Industrial
0.2 mi
Students' Hall
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Harlem Heights
1776Revolutionary War
0.9 mi
Battle of Fort Lee
1776Revolutionary War
2.7 mi
Fort Lee Evacuation
1776Revolutionary War
2.7 mi
Fall of Fort Lee
1776Revolutionary War
2.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Union Theological Seminary listed on the National Register?

Union Theological Seminary was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Union Theological Seminary?

Union Theological Seminary is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Union Theological Seminary?

The period of significance for Union Theological Seminary is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Union Theological Seminary?

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