History and architecture
St. James Roman Catholic Church is one of the monuments of the Greek Revival in New York City, due to the beautiful proportions of its elements and to the refinement of its Greek detail. This handsome church is an example of an interesting building type which has a recessed porch with two columns; on either side of the porch are enclosed stairs with their own doors opening on to the street. The entire front is crowned by a low gable (pediment). In the United States architects went one step further by adding stairs on each side of the porch.
The Greek detail in this building is extremely handsome, and the ornament above the entrance door and on the interior balcony is similar to that published in one of Hinard Lafevre's books on architecture. Historically, this church, begun in 1835, is one of the oldest Roman Catholic church structures still standing in Manhattan.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.