The Bowery-Bowery Boys episode 422,

Grace Church, a very fashionable history.

Hey, it's the Bowery Boys.

Hey! Hi there. Welcome to the Bowery Boys. This is Greg Young. And I'm Tom Myers. And here we are

Greg at the end of the year. Get into the holiday mood and we thought that we would

focus today on the story of a place that certainly knows

how to celebrate the holiday season and celebrate it in style it's a place in fact that's

always been in style how often can you say that about

something in New York? We're talking about Grace Church in Manhattan, a

picture perfect Gothic Revival Episcopal Church located at Broadway and 10th Street completed

in 1846.

Yes, it sits right there at the crook of Broadway, if you will, just as the street bends on its way up to Union Square, which as you will hear in a bit, gives it a bit of extra visual prominence.

You know, Grace Church kind of seems to pop out at you as you look up and down

Broadway and even though it opened on this spot in 1846 this actually wasn't

the original location so today we'll examine where it originally sat, why it

moved, and why here exactly. Yes, and Grace Church is notable for a number of reasons,

including its architect James Renwick Jr. and also the social

outreach that it did to the neighboring, you know, largely immigrant communities, but it's also remembered for something else.

Grace Church was one of the most fashionable churches in New York City

for several decades in the 19th century.

Some of the New Yorkers who were members here at some point in their lives

went on to become some of the most famous names of the Gilded Age,

...