First Universalist Church - Rochester, NY
Posted by: 
sagefemme
N 43° 09.235 W 077° 36.290
18T E 288210 N 4781201
On the Southeast corner of South Clinton Ave and Broad Street, 150 South Clinton Ave, this is a splendid example of Claude Bragdon architecture.
Waymark Code: WMDCDR
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/24/2011
Views: 7
According to wikipedia, "construction began on 15 September 1907, with a dedication week in October 1908. The architect was Rochester's Claude Fayette Bragdon." (
visit link) It goes on to describe the building as Romanesque Revival.
Bragdon used the nearly 1500 year-old Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, as the inspiration for his design. The design includes a second floor gymnasium. Stained glass windows from the original church building wer incorporated into the design, including The Sargent window, named after its donor, which is based ont "The Good Shephard" by Dore. (
visit link)
The organ was purchased from Hope-Jones Organ Company in December 1907. The congregation wryly describes it as "the Hopeless Jones", a play on the name of Robert Hope-Jones, its controversial builder whose designs were forerunners of the theater organ. (
visit link) It was one of the first to use electric current as well as air to activate the pipes, and was becoming increasingly popular in movie theaters at the time - during the silent era. Mark Twain, who was a director of the Hope-Jones Organ Company, came to the a demonstration of the organ, during a week-long dedication of the organ in October 1908.
In 2002, the education wing was refinished, the Clara Barton Room remodeled, and a handicap accessibility ramp and lift elevator were installed.