A Brief History of Grace Church

By G. Wescott Storm, Archivist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grace Church began as an offshoot of the venerable Mother Parish of the city, Trinity Church, in the spring of 1838. A group of twenty communicants wrote to their then Rector, the Rev. Pierre A. Proal stating their desire to organize a new parish and asking for his canonical consent. Their first service was held in an upper room of a house located at 215 Genesee Street, and on May 21, 1838, the parish was duly organized under the name of Grace Church, Utica. The first church was erected on the corner of Broadway and Columbia Streets in 1839, and the first service was conducted in the new building in August of that year. This would be the site of Grace Church for the next 21 years.

Discussions regarding the construction of a larger and more permanent church, in a more desirable location, began as early as 1847. Alfred Munson, a wealthy Utica businessman and a member of the congregation, secured the services of Richard Upjohn, architect of Trinity Church in New York City, to draw up plans for a new edifice. From the voluminous correspondence between Mr. Munson and Mr. Upjohn, it was clear that Mr. Munson had in mind a church of cathedral proportions. In 1851 a few subscriptions were obtained, but it remained doubtful the parish could meet the expenses of a new church. In 1854 Mr. Munson died, leaving a legacy of $10,000 towards the purchase of the lot at the corner of Genesee and Elizabeth Streets, on which the present church stands.

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The cornerstone was laid on July 10, 1856, but by September 1859, it seemed as if the edifice might never be completed due to financial problems. However, the Rev. John J. Brandegee, third rector, was a man of great courage and experience and it was through his persistence that enough money was raised to finish the church and pay off the mortgage. On May 20, 1860, the first service was held in the new church and on Easter Day, 1864, the $30,000 mortgage was paid. The church was consecrated on August 16, 1864, but unfortunately, Dr. Brandegee died a week after presenting the last offerings which freed the church from its debt. Truly it may be said of him that “…his real offering was himself, and that the church is his enduring memorial.”

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In 1875 the tower and spire were completed under the personal supervision of Richard M. Upjohn, son of the original architect. The parish house, vestry room and choir room were added in 1884 and in 1890 the chancel was enlarged through the generosity of Mrs. Helen E. Munson Williams, who died before the work was completed. The new windows adorning the chancel were commissioned in her memory by her daughters, Mrs. Rachel M. W. Proctor and Mrs. Maria W. W. Proctor. 

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Henry Holiday, the notable English stained glass artist, was commissioned to design and create the seven windows. He took the great hymns of the church and the seven days of the Creation as the subject for what is considered by art experts the world over to be his masterpiece. Evidently Mr. Holiday considered them to be his best works for he chose them as the frontispiece of his definitive book on stained glass, and copied them for the west window of the Cathedral Church of St. Savior, Southwark, London.

The present Parish House was constructed through the generosity of Mrs. Thomas R. Proctor and Mr. Frederick T. Proctor. The cornerstone was laid on Advent Sunday, 1926 and on May 15, 1928, the Parish House was dedicated.

 

The generosity of the Proctors to the church was also shown in a gift of the Lady Chapel. Stone from the dismantled old chapel was used in the new one, thus giving an impression of antiquity. Exquisite in design, the chapel was styled after Old World churches where it was the custom to dedicate the chapel immediately behind the high altar to the Mother of Christ. The chapel and its altar were consecrated on May 17, 1928.

Under the financial leadership and spiritual encouragement of Mrs. Frederick T. Proctor, Grace Church established a convent for the Society of the Sisters of St. Margaret in Utica. The first sisters arrived on November 4, 1912 and remained active within the community until 2009 when the remaining nuns returned to the Mother House in Boston. St. Margaret’ House, the order’s Tudor style stone convent consecrated in 1937, today serves as a retreat center and spiritual sanctuary under the oversight of the corporation founded by Mrs. Proctor.

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Missionary zeal was of upmost importance in the early years of Grace Church. Over 100 years ago, the efforts of the Rev. Edwin M. Van Deusen, fourth rector of Grace Church, helped found St. Luke’s Home and Hospital, which today provides health care services to the community as Faxton-St. Luke’s Hospital. It was also during Dr. Van Deusen’s tenure that the Holy Cross Mission, St. Luke’s Memorial Mission, St. Andrew’s Mission and St. Phillip’s Mission were established. While Grace Church was not instrumental in establishing the House of the Good Shepherd, the parish supported the effort financially and many of its communicants served on the board of directors.

Today as we continue in ministry within these hallowed walls, we welcome a more diverse community, which includes communicants from every neighborhood of the city and outlying areas of the countryside. Our ministry now includes welcoming Karens from Burma and taking to heart our Lord’s commandment to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.

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Our exquisite worship space and beautiful buildings bear testimony to the vision and faithfulness of countless members who made Grace Church their spiritual home during the past 172 years. In recent years, we have welcomed the congregations of three area Episcopal churches into our parish family: Calvary Church, St. George’s Church and St. Paul’s Church. Each of these parishes has made a significant contribution to the spiritual life within these walls.

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Calvary Church began in a small schoolhouse located at the corner of West and Eagle Streets, on the first Sunday in January, 1850. The city of Utica was expanding to the south and the east at that time and the church’s history indicates it was the first religious organization in the Corn Hill section. The parish was legally incorporated on December 15, 1850, and shortly thereafter, a wooden church was erected on South Street, between Neilson St. and Howard Ave. The Rev. William A Matson became the first Rector on May 1, 1851, and in November of that year the church was consecrated. Calvary grew to become a Corn Hill landmark, culminating in the construction of a large stone building on the corner of South Street and Howard Avenue. The first service there was held December 10, 1872 and on January 18, 1884 the church was consecrated.

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The church was long noted for its outreach and mission to the neighboring community, but dwindling resources and a shrinking congregation brought the painful realization that the few remaining faithful could no longer hold the parish together. The last rector to serve there was the Rev. David Hopkins, who left in July, 1994. Shortly thereafter, the vestry voted to merge with Grace Church, Utica and the final service was held on November 20, 1994. One week later on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, 1994, the people of Calvary were welcomed as members of the Grace Church family.

St. George’s Church began in 1861 when the then curate of Grace Church, Utica, the Rev. William T. Gibson, sought to replace St. Paul’s mission, which was organized in 1849 but abandoned in 1854. Services were originally held in the First Moravian Church at the corner of Cornelia and Cooper Streets, and in October 1862, the first church at 1108 State Street was completed. Fr. Gibson served as rector from 1862 to 1866 and again from 1873 to 1883.

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In 1951 the congregation made the decision to move uptown and the property at 2614 Genesee Street was subsequently acquired for use as a parish house and eventual site for a new church. The cornerstone for the chapel was laid on Sunday, June 1, 1952, but the congregation’s hopes for a new church never came to fruition.

St. George’s was distinctive for its Anglo Catholic ceremonial and adherence to the “highest type of Catholic teaching and worship.” However, by 2003, a declining membership and severely diminished financial resources meant the congregation could no longer continue to meet and worship at its present facility. In the early fall of 2003, the Vestry voted to consolidate with Grace Church, effective December 1, 2003. One of the most significant results of this merger was the continued legacy of the Emily Clark Bink Organ Scholar Program, which enabled young organ students to sit at the console of the Grace Church organ and to participate in the music program.

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St. Paul’s Church had its origin as a mission of the “Mother Church”. It was established by the Rev. Charles H. Gardner, who was rector of Trinity Church, Utica from 1878 to 1886. It became known as St. Paul’s Chapel and remained under the charge of Trinity Church until 1922, at which time the Rev. Edgar L. Pennington was assigned to serve as the missionary. He was succeeded by the Rev. Merrill M. Moore, who served until 1925 when he resigned to become the curate at Grace Church, Utica. The vestry of Grace Church then took over the care of St. Paul’s with the Rev. Moore in charge. In 1928, St. Paul’s Church became the property of the diocese and was admitted into union with the convention as an organized mission.

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For many years the church was located at 411 Trenton Ave. In 1942, a piece of land was purchased at 4 Riverside Drive where a foundation was laid and the building was moved from Trenton Ave. In 1954 the church purchased 4½ acres of land at 190 Riverside Drive. The new church, contemporary in design, was completed in 1956 and consecrated in May, 1968 after it became debt-free through a bequest received from the estate of the late George M. Weaver.

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By 2001 the congregation began to feel the effects of a diminished population and it soon became apparent that the efforts to maintain an active ministry would be better served through consolidation with another congregation. On May 20, 2003, they voted to merge with Grace Church and on June 27, 2004, the people from Grace traveled to St. Paul’s for the final joint service, followed by a picnic on the lawn.

The sale proceeds realized on the real property became the foundation for the Grace Church Building Preservation fund.

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                                      Trinity Church                                                                         A sketch of Grace Church as it appeared in 1889.