St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Albany New York

Date added: December 21, 2024

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Begun in 1859, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Albany, New York, was designed by noted architect Richard Upjohn and his son, Richard M. Upjohn. Constructed in French Gothic style, the church is noted for its decorative stone tower, which rises to a height of 180 feet. Restored, the church has changed little in appearance since 1876.

The history of St. Peter's Church reaches back to 1704 when Queen Anne established "the Chapel of the Onondagas" to spread missionary activity among the Indians.

In 1715 a church building was erected, making it one of the first Anglican churches north of New York City. This building was replaced in 1803 by a new church designed by architect Phillip Hooker, located at Lodge and State Streets. In 1859 the second edifice was demolished, and on St. Peter's Day, June 29^th, 1859, the foundation stone for the present structure was laid.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church was the third church built in Albany by that name and the second constructed at 99 State Street. The structure also occupies the site of the northeast bastion of Fort Frederick, which was the seat of British military authority in the province during the Colonial period.

Beneath the steps of St. Peter's is a vault believed to contain the remains of Lord Viscount George A. Howe, a British brigadier general killed in the Battle of Ticonderoga in 1758.

Richard Upjohn (1802-1878), who participated in the design of St. Peter's, achieved instant fame as the architect of Trinity Church in New York (1841-1846). Generally regarded as the initiator of the purer phase of the Gothic Revival in America, he founded the American Institute of Architects and served as its first President (1857-1876). St. Peter's is sometimes listed among his dozen best known works, but it is now generally believed that his son, Richard Michell Upjohn (1828-1903), was primarily responsible for the design and particularly for the plan of the completed tower.

Building Description

When completed, except for the tower, in the summer of 1860, St. Peter's Church measured 136 feet in length, 68 feet in width, and 64 feet in height. Masons fashioned the walls from Schenectady blue stone and used brown New Jersey sandstone for decorative features, doorways, and window openings. Designed by Richard Upjohn and his son, Richard M. Upjohn, of New York City, the church initially cost $61,532.07. Gifts enabled the parish to finance the completion of the tower in 1876. The present altar and reredos date from 1885.

The style of St. Peter's is the decorated Gothic of the French type. The design embraces a rather shallow chancel, octagonal in form, a nave with aisles, and a massive tower at the west end of the south aisle, actually on the corner of State and Lodge Streets. The interior is finished in black walnut. According to one writer the completed tower, designed by Richard M. Upjohn, "is one of the most elaborate and impressive of the decorated French Gothic on the continent." Rising about 180 feet, the tower is about 20 feet square and bears on its salient angle a projecting octagon that carries a spiral staircase.

A number of stained glass windows decorate the church. The Weaver Window, designed by Burne-Jones and made under his supervision by the William Morris Company of London, is especially important. Among the art treasures found in the church is a silver communion service given to the church by Queen Anne in 1715.

Extensive interior restoration work on St. Peter's began in 1964 and included repair of six chancel windows installed by the Clayton and Bell Stained Glass Studio, Ltd., of London in 1885. Exterior restoration included the replacement of the roof.