St. Bartholomew’s Church

A National Historic Landmark on Park Avenue, St. Bartholomew’s Church is one of America’s greatest architectural ensembles—a Romanesque-Byzantine masterpiece by Bertram G. Goodhue whose monumental entrance, the Stanford White Triple Portal, stands as a singular work of art. Inspired by the 12th-century Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in southern France, the portal unites architecture, sculpture and color in a composition unmatched in the United States.

Site History

St. Bartholomew’s Church was constructed between 1916 and 1930, with the design by Bertram G. Goodhue incorporating Stanford White’s earlier Triple Portal, originally created in 1901–1903 for the church’s former location on Madison Avenue. Commissioned by Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt and her daughter Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in memory of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the portal features bronze doors made by celebrated sculptors Herbert Adams, Philip Martiny and Andrew O’Connor under the oversight of Daniel Chester French.

When the congregation moved to Park Avenue in 1918, Alice Vanderbilt financed the relocation of the entire portal, which Goodhue called “perhaps the most beautiful thing of its kind in America.” Stanford White’s creation profoundly influenced Goodhue’s design for the church, which features Romanesque arches, Byzantine domes and the dazzling marble and bronze of the portal.

Designated a New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Bartholomew’s remains an icon of the American Renaissance and a living testament to the cultural exchange between France and the United States.

About the Project

The red marble wainscoting—with its deep veining and reverse fluting—frames the portal’s central doorway. Its conservation, directed by Amanda Trienens, Lead Conservator and Principal of Cultural Heritage Conservation, will involve cleaning with nonionic detergent and laser methods, replacing unsound previous repairs and filling cracks to restore aesthetic and structural integrity.

This work builds on extensive studies conducted between 2017 and 2023 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Excelsior Art Services, with support from French Heritage Society and a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant. The project reflects best-practice conservation principles—minimal intervention, maximum retention of original material and long-term maintenance planning.

St. Bartholomew’s Church Today

As an Episcopal church in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, St. Bart’s is an inclusive, radically welcoming Christian community. Its commitment to the arts and beauty is reflected in its robust music program and stewardship of its historic building. In addition to regular services, the church offers a wide range of activities and ministries for children and adults of all ages.