When Tuxedo Park was first created it was assumed that most of its new residents would continue to maintain their primary residences in New York City, where many of them lived in the Murray Hill neighborhood. Church ties remained in Manhattan, with the overwhelming number of residents holding pews at St. Bartholomew’s, Grace Church, and St. George’s.
However, almost immediately, families began to spend more and more time in the community, with central heat installed in many of the houses, and golf and other activities established. Several of the club’s original members saw the need to have a Tuxedo church and built a small chapel, designed by James Brown Lord and situated on the Orange Turnpike. It was opened in June of 1887. Permission was requested from the Diocese of New York to make the small house of worship an official parish, which was granted later that year.
In December of 1887, Henry I. Barbey, Pierre Lorillard’s brother in law, offered to build and furnish a more substantial church, and purchased a plot of land which was inside of Tuxedo Park’s gates, but still accessible to the new village (the original church was then turned into Tuxedo’s first schoolhouse). The Church was designed by William Appleton Potter, brother of the Rt. Rev. Henry Codman Potter, Bishop of the Diocese of New York, and uncle of Vestryman James Brown Potter. He used stone from the area for its undercroft and designed the upper half in the shingle style, which had also been used for the Clubhouse and many of the early houses. The church’s front stoop was intended for club members, with the rear door and steps designed as a villager’s entrance. The church was consecrated on October 14th, 1888, by Bishop Potter with the Rev. Romaine S. Mansfield from Suffern serving as acting Rector.
The first minister called to the new church was the Rev. Vaughn Colston, who was instrumental in founding the Sunday School and the St. Mary’s Guild. His assignment was not an easy one, however, with a local paper reporting that “the Park contained a few houses and fewer church people; the village was a mere handful of cottages, (and) the North Gate settlement (was) wild and unkempt. In the midst of these difficulties, Father Colston labored faithfully, and amid the storms of winter, his well known figure, and that of his “plucky and zealous wife”, might be seen passing to and fro on their errands of mercy. One summer he sailed for England, ostensibly for a holiday, and never returned.”
The Rev. George Merrill was then called as Rector, and with each year the community expanded, resulting in two services at 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM, the later intended for servants and children. A rectory was constructed for Father Merrill in 1895, which is still in use today. One of his first acts was to “condemn” the village entrance, with his daughter recalling that “The Good Lord certainly didn’t want two doors; he welcomed all men as equals.” Several stained glass windows were installed, which were designed by such leading firms as John La Farge, the Tiffany Studios and Frederick Lamb. All remain. A Parish House was constructed in 1901.
The church yard was opened in 1910, which certainly was a sign of the maturing of the Church, and Tuxedo Park. The sanctuary, which may have been in a Victorian style, was completely redesigned in 1922 by noted church architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in memory of Mr. Henry Tilford. Mr. Goodhue had also been the architect for St. Thomas’ Fifth Avenue and the then recent St. James’ Madison Avenue renovation. A chapel was added to the undercroft, and a second altar was then put at the east side of the church. An elevator was added in the 1940's, and a new education building constructed in 1962.
Today there are more than one hundred and thirty families who worship with us, with Easter and Christmas services often attracting more than three hundred worshipers. The following shows the tenures of our past rectors:
1888-1891 The Rev. Vaughn Colston
1892-1894 The Rev. W. McCarthy Windsor
1894-1903 The Rev. George Merrill
1903-1910 The Rev. William Fitz-Simon
1911-1912 The Rev. Malbone Burkhead
1912-1937 The Rev. Robert S. W. Wood
1937-1952 The Rev. Leon E. Cartwell
1953-1969 The Rev. Fenimore E. Cooper
1969-1981 The Rev. James R. Leo
1981-2006 The Rev. Dr. Edwin H. Cromey
2006-2007 The Rev. David Killeen, Interim
Sunday, September 12: 10 a.m. worship will include The Blessing of the Backpacks for all students, young and not so young. Also if you can, bring a gently used (or new) backpack to be blessed and sent to the Bendriani Orphanage in the country of Georgia. Afterwards, enjoy the 3 "p"s...ponies, picnic and play (CastleBounce. Volleyball). Please help us get the word out that this is for EVERYONE!
