History and architecture
St. Peter's Church is an impressive granite building with a fine six-columned portico and a low-angled gable (pediment). The extreme simplicity of the smooth masonry walls lends an air of great dignity to this building. This church is notable historically as having been built on the site of the first Roman Catholic church in New York City. The first church on this site was built in 1786 as was razed in 1836 to make way for the present St. Peter's.
As an early Catholic church, the present building closely follows the tradition of Classic monumentality of so many of its predecessors in Rome. It employed the Greek Revival style of architecture, popular in the United States at that time. St. Peter's Church has an extremely handsome row of Ionic columns and is one of the finest temple-form churches in the City.
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.