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Church of Sweden in New York

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Coordinates: 40°45′26″N 73°58′39″W / 40.757142124°N 73.9774614°W / 40.757142124; -73.9774614
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Church of Sweden, New York
Swedish Seamen's Church
Svenska kyrkan i New York
The church in 2024
Map
Church of Sweden, New York
40°45′26″N 73°58′39″W / 40.757142124°N 73.9774614°W / 40.757142124; -73.9774614
Location5 East 48th Street,
Midtown Manhattan,
New York City
CountryUnited States
DenominationChurch of Sweden
Architecture
Completed1921 (105 years ago) (1921)
New York Bible Society
Church of Sweden in New York is located in Manhattan
Church of Sweden in New York
Church of Sweden in New York is located in New York City
Church of Sweden in New York
Church of Sweden in New York is located in New York
Church of Sweden in New York
Church of Sweden in New York is located in the United States
Church of Sweden in New York
Location5 E. 48th St., Manhattan, New York
Coordinates40°45′33″N 73°58′37″W / 40.75917°N 73.97694°W / 40.75917; -73.97694 (New York Bible Society)[2]
Area0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
NRHP reference No.13001152[1]
NYSRHP No.06101.018598
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 5, 2014[3]
Designated NYSRHPDecember 12, 2013[3]

Church of Sweden in New York (Swedish: Svenska kyrkan i New York; also known as the Swedish Seamen's Church) is a Church of Sweden church at 5 East 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is a parish of the Church of Sweden Abroad. Dating to 1921, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.[4]

The church is currently open Wednesday to Sunday. A library and reading room (featuring a memorial plaque to Raoul Wallenberg) is located on the first floor, while the chapel, sacristy and children's room is on the second floor. The chapel's organ dates to 1986, the work of Torshälla's Walter Thür.[5][6][7] The uppermost floors are private residences and a rooftop terrace.

History

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Demand for the founding of a Swedish church came about after around 1.4 million Swedes arrived on American shores between 1820 and 1900.[8] Swedish immigrants found solace in churches earlier than this one, where they could keep up with news from their homeland, collect and send mail and enjoy refreshments.[5]

The current church building was originally built on the site of a modest brownstone constructed in 1873. In April 1921,[9] a year after a donation of around $250,000 from Henrietta E. Francis Talcott, a Gothic style edifice appeared in its place. The building was dedicated as a home for the New York Bible Society. The donor was the wife of textile merchant turned millionaire James Talcott, who died in 1916 at the age of 86. The new building was the work of architect Wilfred E. Anthony (1878–1948).[5][10] Henrietta died in December 1921, aged 79; it is not known whether she got to see the finished building.

On March 31, 1978, the Church of Sweden Abroad bought the property from the New York Bible Society for $570,000.[5] The air rights were sold in 1981 for $1 million and paid off the debt.[10]

The song "Christmas in New York" was written by Billy Butt on the church's piano in 1979.[11]

  • Chapel, 2025
    Chapel, 2025
  • Organ, 2025
    Organ, 2025

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. August 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  4. ^ New York Bible Society – NPGallery Digital Asset Management System, National Park Service
  5. ^ a b c d "THE HIDDEN COFFEE SHOP IN THE SWEDISH SEAMENS CHURCH IN MIDTOWN" – Untapped New York
  6. ^ Walter Thür Orgelbyggen (1986) – Pipe Organ Database
  7. ^ Svenska Kyrkan (Swedish Seamen's Church) – The New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
  8. ^ History – Church of Sweden in New York official website
  9. ^ "NY Bible Society in New Home". The Long Islander. April 15, 1921. p. 11.
  10. ^ a b The House at 5 East 48th Street – Church of Sweden in New York official website
  11. ^ "Julen är här" (PDF) (in Swedish). Svenska sång- och talpedagogförbundet. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
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